Sari Sumdac, Cyber-Ninja
by FictionFan1024
Summary: "Sari Sumdac, Cyber-Ninja" takes her to the beginnings of adulthood, where she acquires her final, full set of mods, and develops into one of Cybertron's most powerful Cyber-Ninjas. She works for her two native planets as defender and ambassador.
1. Chapter 1

"**Sari Sumdac, Cyber-Ninja" takes her to the beginnings of adulthood, where she acquires her final, full set of mods, and develops into one of Cybertron's most powerful Cyber-Ninjas. She works for her two native planets as defender and ambassador.**

**We pick up this book after Sari's return to earth from her six-month stay on Cybertron (see "Sari Sumdac, Technorganic Recruit"). While there, she had helped Jazz rebuild Master Yoketron's Dojo, and had the opportunity to meet new Autobot friends, learn Cybertronian history and absorb its culture. Now back as a member of Optimus Prime's crew, she is on her first real assignment, working with Bumblebee and Bulkhead on earth's moon. **

**The three are building "Farside Beacon One", a joint Human/Cybertronian initiative which will be a long range scanning and listening station on the moon's far side. Its purpose is to be an early warning system against unwelcome visitors, whether celestial or alien.**

**The team has been doing weekly video status reports with Optimus and Professor Sumdac since the start of their assignment. However this week, something is wrong.**

"Farside Beacon One, come in, Farside Beacon One, this is Sumdac Tower," said Optimus. He and Professor Sumdac were sitting in his conference room for their weekly status report with the lunar team. It had been two months since Sari returned from Cybertron, and since her return to earth, she had been working on Farside Beacon One with Bulkhead and Bumblebee.

They stared at the blank video screen. White noise came from the speakers. "Oh, Optimus, what's going on?" Isaac asked nervously. Once again, he looked at the controls, making sure the encryption configurations were correct and the connection settings were on the proper frequency. He fumbled with his hands, not knowing what else to do.

"I don't know, Professor, but we will continue trying. Farside Beacon One, come in, Farside Beacon One." Optimus continued. It had been 10 minutes since the scheduled start of their meeting.

Optimus got up. "I'm going to send Ratchet and Arcee up on the space bridge to investigate," he said, when suddenly, some clicking sounds replaced the white noise on the speakers. Isaac and Optimus exchanged glances. Finally, a scratchy voice broke through. "Sumdac Tower, this is Farside Beacon One. Bumblebee here, come in."

"Bumblebee? This is Optimus. What's going on?" He sat back down. Isaac sat forward in his chair.

"Sorry for the delay, Optimus. Our long range tower was damaged. It happened about a megacycle before the beginning of our conference. A small asteroid struck the lunar surface about two hics from here, and a chunk broke off from the impact, flew this way and struck the tower right in the middle. Sari went out to check on it but she said the tower's electronics are totally slagged."

"Two hics?" asked Isaac.

"About two kilometers," said Optimus.

"Bulkhead joined Sari, and he just now managed to jerry-rig a transmission unit, but all we have is audio. We couldn't get video to work."

"Why didn't the long-range sensors pick up the asteroid?" asked Optimus.

"Well, as you know, we only have a single long-range sensor unit right now, and we took it offline earlier. We were in the middle of running a complete diagnostic when this occurred."

"Bumblebee, I thought the protocol was not to take a unit offline to run a complete diagnostic unless you had a spare unit on hand!" said Isaac.

"Yes, that's true," said Bumblebee. "However, during testing a serious flaw was found in that unit's operation, and we came to the realization that a complete diagnostic was needed. We discussed the risks and decided it had to be done. The asteroid turned out to be really bad timing. Sari will explain what she found as soon as she gets here. She said this flaw needs to be corrected before Sumdac Systems builds any more of those units."

"But now because of this, your station is blind, and vulnerable to more asteroid strikes or Decepticon attacks! This is bad, oh this is bad." Isaac started rubbing his temples.

Just then, Bulkhead and Sari entered the station and sat at the conference table. "We're here," said Sari.

"OK, Sari, I want you to begin. Give us a complete status report on Farside Beacon One's systems," said Optimus.

"Well, except for what just happened to the long range tower, we are still on schedule," said Sari. Electrical is complete and the power generators are running. All basic computer systems are online and the station is lit. Initial communication systems are complete; initial life support systems are still on schedule to be up and running for the arrival of the human crew. We estimate six weeks for completion of that phase."

"Sari, tell me about the long-range scanning system," said Isaac.

"Dad, I found a serious flaw. Do not build any additional units until it's corrected."

"What causes the error?" asked Isaac.

"We were getting too many false positives in our tests," Sari explained. The sensor was telling us there were dangerous asteroids within striking distance of the moon, when there were none. This went on for two solar cyc…er, days."

"Bulkhead, Bumblebee and I decided that I should go in to the sensor unit and investigate. I went in while it was operational, but when it was running, I found nothing wrong. So we decided that I had to do a full diagnostic, which meant taking it offline. Only then was I able to see where the error was occurring. I'm afraid your scientists built the scanners using sensors calibrated for the magnitude of a celestial body as seen by an observer through earth's atmosphere, as opposed to the magnitude as seen by an observer on the moon."

"Oh no," Isaac slapped his forehead.

"We thought the risks of being temporarily blind were worth it. We were wrong. While I was inside the sensor and just as I discovered this, an asteroid hit about two hics – sorry, about two kilometers from the station. The impact broke off a chunk of rock from the surface; it flew over here and took out our tower. It destroyed our listening as well as our communication capability."

"The time for our status report was coming up fast, so Bulkhead had an idea: he grabbed some spare parts and put together a quick radio communication setup between the space bridge and our station. I helped him with the wiring. We tried to get video, but it didn't work."

"And the long range detection equipment on the tower; I assume that cannot be jerry-rigged?" asked Optimus.

"Unfortunately, no, Optimus," said Bulkhead. That part works with the one here at the control station. It was destroyed."

"It was the first thing I investigated when I climbed the tower," said Sari. "I'm afraid it took a direct hit. It was smashed into dozens of useless pieces."

"All right," said Optimus, "right now, my main concern is for your safety. Professor, how long would it take to manufacture a new sensor system re-calibrated for the moon?"

"A week at best," said Isaac. "Those units use rare earth elements, which have to be acquired and calibrated properly. Once calibrated they cannot be changed; otherwise I could re-calibrate a unit that's already built," he sighed.

"Not good enough," said Optimus. "The crew needs to be safe, and we can't abandon the station. There isn't anything useful we can send up on the space bridge. Optimus touched the comm on the side of his helmet 'Ratchet, Arcee, meet me here in the Sumdac Tower conference room. We have a situation that needs your immediate attention.'"

"I will send Ratchet and Arcee up on the Ark-32, and the AE-35 can serve as their long range scanner. It will also give Farside Beacon One communication capabilities - notwithstanding your excellent jerry-rigging skills, Bulkhead."

"Did what I could, Boss-bot!" said Bulkhead.

"Now, as for the damaged tower. Can we send you replacement parts on the space bridge?" asked Optimus.

"That would work fine," said Bulkhead. Sari and I can have the repairs up, and have communication back online in, whaddya think, Sari, a couple megacycles after we get the parts?"

"Easily," she said.

"Have there been any additional asteroids landing since that one?" Optimus asked.

"No, I scanned space visually immediately after it occurred," said Bumblebee. "It appears to have been a rogue, and there have been no other impacts within a 250-hic radius of Farside Beacon One."

"Well, until the Ark-32 arrives, you're going to have to keep scanning visually – you've got no choice, all of you," said Optimus.

"I was afraid you'd say that," groaned Bumblebee.

A few minutes later, Ratchet and Arcee came in to the conference room. "What's going on?" asked Ratchet. Optimus briefed them on the status, and explained the situation. "Take the Ark-32 up there to assist them."

"We'll head up there immediately!" Said Ratchet.

Arcee nodded. "On our way!" They left and headed over to the airstrip to ready the ship.

"Alright, I think that's the best we can do to take care of your current situation," said Optimus. "Let's get back to the remainder of this meeting agenda. Bulkhead, what's your status on the exterior structures?"

"Everything's up and assembled, Boss Bot," said Bulkhead. And the landing site's all cleared and ready."

"Good. The Ark-32 can use that when it arrives. Bumblebee, how are the interior structures?"

"I've got them sealed up tight, Optimus. We should be able to begin pressurization testing…next…"

"Next what?" said Optimus. "What's going on?"

"Uh, Optimus? Those triangular thingies on top of Sari's helmet just started glowing blue."

"Guys, I'm picking up a transmission," said Sari.

"Picking up a…what are you talking about?" said Bumblebee.

"Never mind, Bumblebee," said Optimus. "Sari, what's the transmission?" Only Optimus and Isaac knew about Sari's mod.

"It's an encrypted Decepticon message," said Sari. They've entered the solar system and are headed this way!"

"Oh, no," said Isaac.

Optimus touched the comm on the side of his helmet, "Ratchet! Don't take off yet! I'm joining you on the Ark-32!"

"Professor, we will contact you later," he said as got up from the table. "Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Sari, prepare for our arrival." Heading out the door, he made another comm connection. "Jazz! Meet me at the Ark-32, stat!"

Isaac slumped back in his chair. "Oh my, oh my." Recovering, he sat up and got on the intercom. "Get me the head scientist whose team developed the long range sensor module for Farside Beacon One!" He hit the intercom button with his fist and angrily paced around the conference room.

**Thus begins "Sari Sumdac, Cyber-Ninja". Optimus' team are on their way to Farside Beacon One, and Sari and her friends will prepare for their arrival, as they get ready for the Decepticons. Hopefully there won't be any more celestial bodies threatening the station! Thanks for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

**We pick up this chapter immediately following the end of the last one. Optimus and the crew of the Ark-32 are on their way to Farside Beacon One to assist with what looks to be the impending arrival of a Decepticon ship. Sari's mod had intercepted the encrypted Decepticon transmission, but as we begin this chapter, Bumblebee doesn't seem too terribly concerned… **

Sari got up from the conference table. "I guess we'd better get ready for their arrival."

"Hold on, Sar, hold on." said Bumblebee. "The Ark-32's at least a couple megacycles away, and if the Decepticons just crossed into the Solar System, they're a couple orbital cycles away, so sit down, and let's talk. First off, what are those glowing blue thingies on your helmet all about?"

"Oh those," she said shyly. "It's a mod that turned on when I was on Cybertron. It lets me intercept encrypted transmissions. They glow blue in one of two ways: first, as a visual alert to Autobots who are with me that I'm picking up enemy intercepts. The other time they glow blue is when I am in "mojo" mode and doing cyber work."

"Dataminer wasn't sure how far my intercept range was; that one I just picked up was the furthest transmission I've detected so far."

"New mod, eh?" Bumblebee stroked his chin. "Any other new mods, Sar? You know, I'm still waiting on that lottery one!"

Sari chuckled. "No lottery mod yet, Bee. I did get those micron boosters on my pedes shortly after arriving on the moon though. They help me get around."

"Yeah Sari, but the first time you used them here, you scared me! I was worried you might blast yourself out into space!" said Bulkhead.

Sari laughed. "I did kind of overdo it that first time, huh? I jumped so high I landed about 20 hics away from the station site. Bee had to come rescue me."

"Oh Yeah! I transformed and took off in the direction you were headed. I finally found you, standing over in the middle of that little crater to the west of the station." He laughed. "I drove up to her, Bulky, opened my door, and said: 'You call a cab, Miss?'" All three laughed.

Sari smiled and pointed a digit at him. "Hey Bee, I've gotten better at using them since then. Besides, they really help me get up on the tower and the top of our buildings."

"Good point, good point," said Bumblebee. He sat back. "Hey, it's been so good having you here with us, Sar. I'm glad Optimus put you on our crew. You, Bulky and me, we're like that trio they had on earth – what were they called, 'The Three Burritos'? No wait, that's not it." He tried to think.

"Oh! Oh! I know this one! It's 'The Three Little Pigs'," said Bulkhead.

"No no no, those pigs are from the 'Grimy Fairy Tales'", said Bumblebee. "These three were from something else. They called themselves the three something-or-others. 'The Three Piñatas'? 'The Three Frittatas'?"

Sari laughed so hard she was holding her middle. "Guys, I think you're talking about 'The Three Amigos'. And it's 'Grimm's Fairy Tales', not 'Grimy'", she chuckled. "But 'The Three Little Pigs' is a Nursery Rhyme."

"That's it! That's what we are; we're 'The Three Amigos'." Said Bumblebee.

At any rate, with her language mod, Sari knew she'd be an "Amiga", but she let that pass.

Bulkhead interrupted this reverie: "Uh, guys, I just thought of something. Sari says her mod picked up that Decepticon signal, but doesn't that mean she picked up the signal at the time it hit her mod?"

"Yeah, so?" said Bumblebee.

Sari paused and suddenly realized what Bulkhead meant. "He means, Bee, the delay from the time they sent the message, to the time it hit my mod. Meaning, the Decepticons might have crossed over long before the signal got here. They may be less than a couple orbital cycles away! Oh yikes!"

The three got up from the conference table and rushed to the visual scanning equipment.

They separated the visible lunar sky into three 120° sections of the horizon, with 0° starting at the lunar north pole. Bulkhead took the first third, Sari the next, and Bumblebee the last.

"Sari, have there been any further transmissions?" asked Bumblebee.

"Nothing since that last one."

"Maybe they're running silent, or maybe they've landed somewhere between Pluto and here," said Bumblebee. "All we can do now is keep watching, and wait for the Ark-32 to arrive. Optimus said he's coming, along with Ratchet, Arcee, and Jazz."

"I'm not seeing any ships or asteroids looking out from my third," said Bulkhead.

"Nothing from mine," said Sari.

"Hold on," said Bumblebee. He adjusted his scope. "Uh, guys, No Decepticons, but you'd better have a look at this." He switched his view over to the large overhead display. All three gasped as he zoomed in on a huge asteroid cluster.

"They're coming in fast," said Bumblebee, examining the readings.

"What's the trajectory?" asked Bulkhead. "Could any of them hit near the station?"

"Very possibly," said Bumblebee. "We'd better get our defenses ready."

Farside Beacon One's defenses came from Cybertron and included six particle-combustion cannons, four laser emitters, and a starfield missile launcher. Bulkhead went to the weapons console, Bumblebee kept watch on the visual scanning equipment, and Sari went outside, facing in the direction of the incoming cluster. The two botted the station's scopes and weaponry, while she would use her mods to destroy any stray asteroid or hurling rocks that Bulkhead might miss.

"Incoming 10 o'clock high, Sari! It's a big one headed your way!" yelled Bumblebee.

"I see it!" said Sari, as her targeting mod activated and the cross-hairs in her vision zeroed in on a bus-sized asteroid tumbling straight towards the station. "Taking it out!"

Sari raised her right servo and fired. A pulsing, blue-white sphere, the orb formed in front of her outstretched digits and took off like a beam of light. A great explosion lit up the lunar sky as her orb met and disintegrated the asteroid.

"Good shootin', Tex!" said Bumblebee.

"Another one coming, higher up, and to the north," said Bee.

"I've got this one," said Bulkhead. He fired the laser emitter, which went out and blew the incoming asteroid into thousands of harmless tiny shards. The pieces drifted harmlessly to the station surface like coarse ash.

"Whaddya know? Gray snow!" said Sari.

"Uh oh, we've got a big 'un coming in. It's not going to hit near the station, but the impact might generate lots of debris. Sari, keep an eye out for rocks coming from the west," said Bee.

"OK watching, Bee. Let me know when it's about to strike." Instead of looking up, she kept her optics focused on the horizon and using her jet skates, she zipped closer to the western edge of the station.

"Here she comes!" The large asteroid struck the lunar surface less than 20 km from the space station.

"Whoa. I felt that impact on my pedes," Sari said.

Within seconds, flying over the horizon came dozens of rocks, large, medium and small. Sari's targeting mod separated into as many cross-hairs as needed, and calculating each rock's size, speed and distance, she blasted every one. Each orb met its rock in a brilliant blue-white flash. The entire effect resembled a spectacular fireworks display.

Their efforts continued for another megacycle, with Bumblebee keeping watch, Bulkhead botting the weaponry, and Sari taking out whatever Bulkhead could not with his defensive array. Finally, a message came through on the station's audio. "Farside Beacon One, this is the Ark-32. Prepare for our arrival."

"Finally!" said Bumblebee.

"Optimus!" Replied Bulkhead. "Can you help with these asteroids coming at the station? We've been battling them since our last transmission."

"Acknowledged," responded the Ark-32. "We've been watching the light show you've been putting on from the moment we entered your hemisphere." So they joined in the effort, taking out the remaining asteroids that threatened the station.

With that done, Optimus piloted the ship towards Farside Beacon One's landing site, and after landing, the "Three Amigos" boarded.

Assembling in the ship's conference room, Optimus brought in Professor Sumdac on video conference from Sumdac Tower and restarted the previously interrupted status meeting.

"So, I understand you three just had a full-scale exercise in what can go wrong when you take down your one and only long range detection equipment," Optimus observed wryly.

Ratchet chuckled at Optimus' reprimand, and gave his status: "The AE-35 is up and running on the Ark-32," he reported. "It's keeping an eye on the Deceptislime ship. It appears to be in no hurry to get here; right now it's taking a lazy turn past Neptune."

"As soon as it gets past Neptune, we will be able to scan the ship to determine the size of its crew," said Arcee.

"Sari, have you intercepted any additional transmissions from them?" asked Optimus.

"No Sir, nothing since that initial one."

"Good job protecting the station from the asteroids, you three. We enjoyed your light show," Optimus smiled. "The replacement parts for the tower should be here before the next solar cycle. Bulkhead, Sari, as soon as they arrive, I want you to get the repairs started." They nodded.

"Professor Sumdac, have you determined when the recalibrated long range scanning system will be available for shipment?"

"Yes, my scientists will have a new unit built and ready in 7 days, and will get it to Farside Beacon One immediately after that." He said.

"When that arrives here, I want it to be installed and running as soon as possible," said Optimus.

"As I said before, the main priority is the safety of Farside Beacon One and its crew. Those here on the Ark-32 will be responsible for that safety, until the new long-range scanning system is up and running. Jazz will be in charge of the Ark-32 crew, and I will return to earth on the space bridge."

"Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Sari, you've all done an excellent job meeting the project deadlines. Keep working on your assigned duties, getting the station ready for the arrival of the earth crew."

"Before we interrupted our last status meeting, Bumblebee, you were about to say when you could begin pressurization testing on the interior structures. When can that begin?"

"The first section should be ready in four to six solar cycles," said Bumblebee. There are six sections in total, so by the time Sari's got initial life support systems up and running for the human crew, I'll have pressurization testing done on them all."

"Excellent. Good job everyone. That should conclude our weekly status. Any questions?" asked Optimus.

"None from earth," said Isaac.

"None here," echoed the crew on the Ark-32.

"Very well; thanks again for everyone's quick response to this incident. Professor Sumdac and I will teleconference with you all again next week. Dismissed. Ark-32 out."

"Sumdac Tower out," said Isaac.

Optimus closed the meeting, and everyone adjourned. An "old" friend walked up to "The One Amiga".

"Sari, how are you doing?"

"Hey, Arcee! Very well, thanks! We're working really well up here. Bumblebee and Bulkhead are good friends, and we get along so well. It's a great mission for me."

"You didn't have much time back on earth after your return from Cybertron," Arcee observed. "I hope you didn't sacrifice time with your father and with Adam."

"I was able to visit with them briefly before taking the space bridge to the moon," Sari replied. "Unfortunately, we have such a tight schedule here, I had to rush to begin working on the station."

"Well, you've been here for two orbital cycles now, I think you should talk to Optimus. You deserve a solar cycle or two off to come spend some time with your human family and friends. Don't forget Sari, your human half deserves attention too. Ask him before he leaves."

"I'd like to do that," she replied. Then hesitating, she asked, "You think I can?"

"All he can say is no, Sari. He doesn't bite." Arcee smiled. "And besides, if right now is not a good time, I'm sure you two can negotiate some future date."

"Thanks, Arcee, I will!"

Sari walked down the hallway and knocked on Optimus' door. "May I come in?"

"Certainly, Sari," he said. "Please, sit down. What can I do for you?"

**A lot of things are going on! Farside Beacon One's project has a tight schedule; there appears to be a Decepticon ship on an intercept course for either earth or the moon; the incomplete space station has no operating long-range scanning capability – although the Ark-32 is temporarily acting as a substitute. Do you think Optimus and Sari can negotiate some time off? She has been working hard. Arcee has a very good point – Sari appears to have been neglecting her human half since leaving Cybertron. What to do?**

**These issues ought to be worked out, one way or another. Thanks for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sari had just chatted with Arcee, who reminded her that while enjoying Cybertron and its Autobot experiences, she may have been slighting the other half of her technorganic self, not to mention neglecting her human relationships. **

**Concerned about rectifying this situation, Sari goes in, at Arcee's encouragement, to sit down and talk with Optimus.**

Sari took a seat at Optimus' conference table.

"So, young Cyber-Ninja, what's on your mind?" he asked with a smile.

"Some thoughts I'm having after chatting with Arcee. My time on Cybertron was an absolutely incredible experience! I learned so much about my Autobot half, and Cybertronian history and culture. However, there's more. Optimus, I haven't told anyone this yet, but there were several times when I felt like I could have stayed there."

"But what about your birthday party?" He asked.

"Oh, that was so sweet of Adam," she smiled, and her optics sparkled. I had a wonderful day there! But, when it was over, and Jazz and I returned to Cybertron, I made a mistake; I allowed myself to revert fully into 'bot' mode."

"Jazz and I went back to Master Yoketron's Dojo and completed its restoration. Dai Atlas was so pleased! There was a big ceremony on the day it reopened, and all of Master Yoketron's former students came to participate in the festivities."

"Yes, I heard all about that," said Optimus. "I understand you received quite a bit of well-deserved attention and cheers from the Cyber-Ninjas that day."

Sari looked down shyly. "Well, yes, I guess so. That experience most definitely influenced my feelings as to which of my halves I started to prefer. So when my time to return to earth came, instead of switching my inner self into 'human' mode, I kept it in that Autobot mindset."

Sari paused for several nanokliks, and then looked up at Optimus with a pained expression on her faceplate. She finally said "I, I visited with my father and with Adam, but, the whole time I was thinking about my new mission, and being with Bulkhead and Bumblebee. I then turned around and got on the space bridge to get to the moon."

Casting her glance down at her servos, her digits clasped together on the conference table, she continued, "My whole time here on the moon has been great! Working with my two best Autobot buds is wonderful; Bumblebee calls us 'The Three Amigos' – an earth expression referring to three very close friends."

"Just now, after our status meeting, I chatted with Arcee as I said, and she asked me about my quick earth visits, and wondered whether I've been neglecting my human half. It was at that moment when all of this hit me!" Sari frowned. "Now I realize my mistake – I should have done a better job balancing my technorganic halves! I should have switched my inner self into 'human' mode when I returned! I should have spent more time with my human family and friends before coming here!"

"And with things now so very busy, and the Decepticons threatening to arrive, I imagine you're feeling a little bit stuck," said Optimus.

Sari looked back at Optimus. "Yes sir, exactly. There's a human expression, 'I painted myself into a corner' – that's kind of how I feel right now. I want very much to keep my Autobot and my Human halves in balance, and I failed in that regard. I want to try to rectify things by going back to earth, but I also can't neglect my responsibilities here."

Optimus looked at his young team member and could sense how this dilemma was making her feel. "Let's see what we can do to work this out," he told her. "Schedules are important Sari, but the well-being of a crew member takes precedence."

"Of course, whatever gets decided will affect others, so I think everyone involved should be brought in, would you agree?"

"Yes, of course," she replied. "I wouldn't want to make a decision without discussing it with Bulkhead and Bumblebee."

"Let's call them in, then." Optimus touched the comm on his helmet. "Bulkhead, Bumblebee, can you meet me in my conference room on the Ark-32?"

"On our way, Boss-bot," said Bulkhead.

"How many days do you think would be sufficient, Sari?"

"If it could be arranged, I think two solar cycles would be good," she replied.

"Let's discuss it with your teammates and see if that can be worked out."

Bumblebee and Bulkhead came in to the conference room and sat down. "Hey Optimus, Sar - what's up?" asked Bee.

"Sari and I were just talking about keeping a proper balance between her Autobot half and her Human half, and whether she needs to invest a little more time in her human side," said Optimus. "As her superior, I assume some responsibility for allowing her to lose that balance, since as a technorganic it's important for her to keep the two in harmony."

"As such, it's possible she may not have spent enough time with her family and earth friends when she came back from Cybertron before joining this mission," he continued. "I know you three have been working very hard, and we have a tight schedule to keep. Do you two think it might be possible sometime in the near future for Sari to take the space bridge back to earth for a two solar cycle furlough?"

"Oh, absolutely!" they both chimed in unison. "Hey Sari, you know we always want to help you any way we can!" said Bulkhead. "Sar, I can work extra any time that's good for you – you know that!" said Bumblebee.

"Thanks, guys," she said. "I was telling Optimus that I think I've been neglecting my human half a bit too much. It's just so much fun being an Autobot with you two," she smiled.

"Well Sar, you know what they say: Once you turn Autobot, it's hard to go back!" winked Bee.

"Oh, boy!" Bulkhead groaned and rolled his optics.

"All right," said Optimus, "So when can we arrange a furlough for Sari?"

"Well, why doesn't she go back right now with you, Optimus?" said Bulkhead. "I mean, the Decepticons are still far off, and we could sure use Sari back here when they arrive."

"It's OK with me," said Bumblebee. "I agree with the big guy. Better timing for when those Deceptislimes show up."

"How does that sound to you, Sari?" Asked Optimus.

"That would be great!" she replied. "Let me use the video phone here on the Ark-32 to let everyone know I'm coming."

"Very good," said Optimus. "I've got a meeting with Jazz, and I believe you're due for a physical with Ratchet, Sari. So why don't you head on over to sick bay, then make your video calls. Meet me at the space bridge in two megacycles."

"Will do, sir!"

Bumblebee and Bulkhead headed back to Farside Beacon One, and Sari got up to go see Ratchet. "Optimus?" she said getting up.

"Yes?"

"Thanks!" she said with a smile.

"You are most welcome, Sari. Good luck with your checkup."

"So, Sari, how did your talk go with Optimus?" asked Arcee. She was following the Decepticon ship with the AE-35 unit, and saw Sari as she was walking toward sick bay.

"I'm joining him on the space bridge for a two solar cycle furlough!" she smiled.

"Oh, I'm so glad, Sari! I told you he doesn't bite," she smiled. "Enjoy your furlough!"

"Thanks, Arcee. And thanks for your advice and encouragement." Sari continued on to sick bay.

"Well, Miss Sumdac. Long time, no see," said Ratchet. "Come in. How have you been?"

"Doing well, Ratchet. I got a new mod while up here on the moon, these micron boosters on my pedes. They let me jump up high. Got to be careful, though. First time I used them, I wound up in a crater 20 hics away. Bumblebee had to come rescue me."

Ratchet chuckled. "You young'uns and your toys. Well I hope now you've got a better grip on how to use them?" he winked.

"Much better," she laughed. "They help me get up on the control tower and the Farside Beacon One buildings."

"Well, don't use them in here! I don't want you bouncing off my ceiling. Just hop on my examination table gently, if you please."

Sari smiled and gently hopped on the table, while Ratchet conducted his examination. "By the way," he said, "I recently communicated with Dataminer. He had some interesting insights into your orb mods. He was looking at your printouts – you know how he loves studying, re-studying and re-re-studying data – hey! I guess that's why they gave him that name! Anyway, he uncovered something he hadn't noticed before."

"It seems your mod can do more than just shoot orbs," Ratchet continued. "He says you ought to be able to mold an orb, forming it in the palm of your servo, and just hold it there, floating it like a ball, even using your digits to twirl it around. Then, you can up and throw it at something. Whatever the orb hits, it'll blow it up just like before when you were shooting it out. Give it a try sometime – against something you wouldn't mind disintegrating, of course."

"Wow. Will do!" Sari replied.

"Well, I'm done. Clean bill of health. Glad you're doing well, my dear," smiled the old bot. "You take care of yourself, OK?"

"Will do, Ratchet. Thanks!" And with that, Sari headed down the hall to the video phones.

**So Sari's headed to earth for a well-deserved two day furlough! What a surprise video phone call her Dad and Adam are about to receive – of course, we hope they're home for the calls! Thanks for reading.**


	4. Chapter 4

**After her physical with Ratchet, Sari phones earth, to let her Dad and Adam know she's taking the space bridge with Optimus for an unscheduled two day furlough!**

After she was done with sick bay, Sari headed over to the Ark-32's video communications station. "Let me call my Dad first," she thought.

Isaac's robo-secretary picked up the call. "Sumdac Towers, Professor Sumdac's office, may I help you?"

"Hi, Tara. This is Sari calling. Can I talk to my Dad?"

"Oh, hi Sari, no, I'm sorry, your father's in a board meeting right now. They should be finishing up in half an hour, if you want to call back."

"Sure, I'll call him back, thanks!"

"Do you want me to let him know you called?" Tara asked.

"No, I want it to be a surprise."

"All right, Sari, good bye." The robo-secretary hung up.

"Hmm," thought Sari. "I still want to call my Dad first so he'll be ready at the space bridge. Better to just wait. I've got plenty of time before I have to meet Optimus. Let me go talk to Bulky and Bee to make sure things will be good while I'm away." She got up from the communications station and headed back to Farside Beacon One. Sari found Bumblebee working inside.

"Hey Sar, you make your calls yet?" asked Bumblebee.

"Not yet, Bee. My Dad's in a meeting, and I want to call him first. You sure you'll be OK while I'm gone? I don't want to leave you hanging."

"Don't worry about me, kiddo! I'm fine here. Listen, this pressurization testing's not so hard, really. I want you to go see your Dad and Adam, OK?"

"OK, Bee, thanks again! Where's Bulky?"

"He's outside somewhere inspecting the exterior walls. I'll let ya go, I'm gonna get back to work here. See ya in a couple solar cycles, Sar!"

"See ya, Bee!" Sari left the base structure and went outside to look for Bulkhead. She found him in the back, walking along the exterior wall, and using his binocular optics to examine the wall sealants. She heard him counting off the checklist. "That one's good; you're lookin' good; this one could use a better seal – let me take care of you right now – gotcha!"

"Hey, Bulky, I just wanted to check with you and make sure everything's good at your end for the next two solar cycles while I'm gone."

Bulkhead retracted his binoculars back into his helmet and looked down. "Oh, hey, Sari! Yeah, I'll be fine up here, don't you worry! With the Ark-32 taking care of the scanning and communications, Bumblebee and I will be good. You have a great time on earth, OK?"

"Will do. See you in a couple!" And with that, she headed back to the Ark-32 to call her Dad. As she walked away, Bulkhead resumed talking to the sealants. "You're good; you look good; nice one!"

* * *

Professor Sumdac was in the middle of a contentious meeting with the Board of Directors. Increased financing for the lunar station was the topic of discussion, but the costs that were expended and lost on all the long-range scanning units were cause for concern.

"Professor Sumdac, as you know, my firm has invested a large amount of money in those units, and now we learn that your scientists wasted all of those rare-earth elements with the wrong calibration. And you are telling us they cannot be re-calibrated?" Porter C. Powell complained.

"Yes, I'm afraid that once they are calibrated, they cannot be changed," said Isaac.

"And now you are asking us to discard all of the units you've already built, and allocate additional scarce funds to your factory so you can purchase more rare-earth elements to continue building more of these units?" Powell asked.

"Yes, Porter," said Isaac, frustrated. "As I explained, one of our scientists designed the unit to be calibrated for the magnitude of a celestial body as seen by an observer through earth's atmosphere. We now know that the units need to be calibrated to the magnitude as seen by an observer on the moon. That scientist is no longer employed here."

"Uh huh." Powell paused, sat back and looked around at the board. "And you learned about this design flaw from who, your young daughter?"

"Yes, my daughter. And confirmed by my senior scientists!" Isaac was getting very annoyed at this cross-examination.

"I see." Powell leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands. All eyes looked at him. "Well, I am just one lone voice here as you know," he said, waving his hand at the board. "You ladies and gentlemen all are the board. I am willing to vote for the funding of one more long-range scanning unit, Professor Sumdac, but I will be honest with you: I have serious doubts about this design your scientists have come up with, and after this one unit has been built, I intend to strongly advise against any others."

"Thank you Porter," sighed Isaac.

The other members of the board sided with Powell, and the proposal to fund the manufacture of the unit was passed. "At least, we can get that unit built and sent up to Farside Beacon One," thought Isaac.

After the board meeting adjourned, Isaac walked to his office and plopped down in his chair, eyes closed, rubbing his temples. "What a day, what a day," he sighed. "All I want to do right now is go upstairs, have a nice cup of tea, and try to relax."

Just then, the video phone announced, "Incoming phone call from the Ark-32."

Isaac groaned. "Oh no, not now! I'll let it go to recording," he thought. He ignored the ring, let it go to the beep, and resting one cheek on his fist, wearily started to listen to the message: "Hi Dad, this is Sari calling…"

"Sari?" he jumped up and picked up the call. "Oh Sari! This is Dad. I'm so sorry, I was going to let your call go to recording; I was SO tired. Forgive me, my dear. How are you?"

"Oh, hi Dad! Sorry to interrupt your relaxation, but I have some news. I'm getting on the space bridge with Optimus, and I'm coming to earth for a couple days furlough."

Isaac's eyes brightened. "You are? Sari my dear, that's wonderful! Oh how I've missed you! This is terrific news! I could surely use your company right now; I just finished an awful board meeting, and Powell's given me such a headache!"

"Oh Daddy, I'm so sorry! As soon as I get there, I'll make you a nice cup of tea!"

"I will look forward to it, my Sari. OK, let me let you go – I'm going to rest my eyes for a few minutes. When can I expect you up top?"

"Optimus and I should be stepping out of the space bridge in a couple hours, Dad, so why don't you go lie down and give yourself a rest? Will see you very soon – I love you!"

"I love you too, my dear! Can't wait to see you!"

"Connection ended" the video phone declared, as Professor Sumdac hung up. "Ah, see? When I woke up this morning, I was dreading that board meeting. Something inside told me that despite the meeting, something good would happen. And there you have it: something wonderful DID happen to me today!" he said, as he got up and took the elevator up to the living quarters to lie down. "Computer?"

"Yes, Professor," said the house computer.

"Please wake me in an hour."

"Yes, sir."

Back on the Ark-32, Sari prepared to make her next call. "Now, let me call Adam," she thought.

* * *

The video phone rang at Adam's house. Adam's Mom answered.

"Witwicky residence."

"Hi, Mrs. Witwicky!"

"Eeek! Do I know you?" she asked, looking at the image of an Autobot on the video screen.

"Oh, sorry Mrs. Witwicky, I forgot you've never actually seen me up close in 'bot' mode. This is Sari."

"Sari? Sumdac? No, you're right, I didn't recognize you. Forgive me for being cautious, but can you switch to your human face so I can be sure? Even your voice sounds different; so - robotic."

"Well, unfortunately I can't. I'm calling from the moon, and there's no breathable air here. But maybe this will help: I visited with Adam before I left to come up here two orbital cyc…sorry, two months ago. Oh! And Adam arranged my 17th birthday party on top of Sumdac Tower. And, the first time you met me, you asked me if I needed a ride."

"OK, that's good enough. Forgive me Sari, your 'bot' mode was a little startling, and I just wanted to be sure."

"No problem," Sari smiled – with her optics. "Is Adam there? I've got some good news I'd like to tell him."

"No, Sari, I'm afraid Adam's away on a camping trip with some friends from class. He's due back tomorrow though. Is there a way he can reach you when he returns?"

"Well, actually, I was going to tell him that I'm coming to earth for a couple of days, so he can reach me at Sumdac Tower when he gets in. Can you please let him know?"

"Certainly, Sari, I'll tell him when he gets in. Sorry for my initial reaction when you called. Have a safe journey here!"

"Thanks, Mrs. Witwicky! Hope to see you too!"

Sari hung up the call. "That's too bad," she thought. I wonder who he's gone camping with?"

Her thoughts were interrupted by Optimus and Jazz approaching. Their meeting had just ended, and they were coming down the hall. Sari stood up.

"Hello, Sari! How have you been?" asked Jazz.

"Doing very well, Sensei! I'm enjoying my mission here at Farside Beacon One. Thanks for helping us while we are getting our long-range sensor equipment back online."

"Glad to be of assistance, young Cyber-Ninja," replied Jazz. As her Sensei, Jazz was quite intentional in his use of that term. He had recognized how far Sari had progressed in her Cyber-Ninja skills, and was deliberate in applying the honorific to her. Sari realized what being called that term meant coming from Jazz, and was deeply appreciative.

"Sari, you've got a well-deserved furlough coming up," he continued. "Enjoy it! And when Farside Beacon One is complete, I look forward to continuing your training. We have many advanced techniques to explore."

"I too look forward to resuming training, Sensei," replied Sari, bowing.

"Well, Sari, we have a little bit of time before we head over to the space bridge," said Optimus. "I'd like to have a look around Farside Beacon One. Why don't you give Jazz and me a tour?"

"My pleasure, sir!" The three left the Ark-32 and Sari showed them all that has been constructed so far on the space station.

"It looks like 'The Three Amigos' have done an excellent job so far," said Optimus, looking at Sari with a smile. "I must say I'm very pleased. I will let Professor Sumdac know how well things are going when I return." They ended the tour at the space bridge.

"Jazz, if you will power up the space bridge, Sari and I will return to earth now." Jazz botted the controls, the blue sphere formed in front of the two travelers, and when it was ready, they jumped in.

**Optimus and Sari are headed back to earth, and Sari's Dad is rested and waiting for them on top of Sumdac Tower. Sari and Adam's reunion will have to wait until the next day. Thanks for reading.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sari and Optimus arrive on earth, on top of Sumdac Tower. Isaac is there to greet them, and Sari's furlough begins!**

Optimus and Sari jumped out of the space bridge onto the floor of Sumdac Tower. Isaac was there waiting. "Welcome back to earth!" he said.

"Thank you, Professor," said Optimus.

"Hi, Daddy!" said Sari. A flash of blue and she transformed into human mode. Running into her father's arms, she gave him a warm hug. "How are you feeling?"

"Oh, much better, now that you are here, my dear." he said.

"Well, I'll let you two enjoy your reunion," said Optimus, and excused himself as he stepped into the elevator to return back to Autobot Base. Sari and Isaac went down to the residential section.

"You sit down here in the living room, Dad, and I'll make you that cup of tea," said Sari. "Then, we can talk." Sari went into the kitchen and brewed a pot of Isaac's favorite Mumbai masala chai. Looking around the kitchen, she found a nice red velvet cheesecake brownie to go with it. Setting everything on a tea tray, she carried it into the living room and laid it before her father. Pouring his chai in a cup, she served it with the brownie.

"Oh my," said Isaac, "Look at this lovely afternoon tea! How lucky I am to have such a gracious daughter."

Sari smiled. "I'm so happy to be here, Daddy. But I also have a confession to make. The last time I was here, my inner self was elsewhere. Although my outside was in human mode, inside I was favoring my Autobot half, and to be honest, I was thinking more about being on the moon with my Autobot friends than being with you and with Adam."

Sitting beside him, she put her hands on his arm. "I'm so sorry, Daddy. Spending that time on Cybertron, it's true that I learned a lot about my Autobot half, but I allowed myself to start forgetting I even had a human side. There were times when I felt like I could have stayed there and not returned. That was very wrong. Please forgive me."

"Oh, my beautiful Sari," said Isaac, holding her hands. "I can't begin to imagine how difficult it is to be of two natures as you are, to have to always be balancing the two sides of yourself. Of course my dear, how could I not forgive you? You are my precious daughter and I love you!" He reached out and gave her a warm embrace. "It means so much to me that you can come and talk to me like this. Always remember that I am here for you."

"Thank you Daddy, I love you so much. I would never want to hurt you," Sari said.

"Nor I, my Sari."

They sat back, and Isaac took a sip of his chai. "Please, Sari, have a cup. This is my special imported chai that I get from a friend in Mumbai." Sari poured herself a cup and the two relaxed together in the living room.

"So Dad, tell me about your board meeting. How did Powell manage to sleaze himself onto Sumdac System's Board of Directors anyway?"

"Oh, that man," Isaac sighed. You see, when we first proposed Farside Beacon One, we were in need of funding. It was a radical idea, and would require a great deal of money. We were having some difficulty finding backers. Powell came along and was willing to fund our effort – for a price: he wanted a seat on the board."

"But how did he get so rich, again? I thought he went bankrupt after that 'Stretch' incident."

"Oh, that," Isaac chuckled. "You mean when his limousine's dashboard accidentally made contact with the AllSpark fragment he purchased on the black market?"

"Yes," she said. "I'd heard that was how the Decepticon 'Stretch' was created, out of Powell's limo."

"And that newly-sparked Decepticon quickly set about bankrupting Powell in order to acquire all the finest treasures that caught its fancy. Powell came to me, begging for help," laughed Isaac. "We lured Stretch up to the roof here, and using the space bridge, I managed to send him off 17 quantum-string vibrational levels distant."

Sari smiled and raised an eyebrow. "I assume that's pretty far away?"

"No ATMs there, I imagine," Isaac smiled. "But at any rate, you're right. Acquiring that AllSpark fragment and then being forced to fund Stretch's lifestyle had cost him nearly everything. When it was over, Powell's assets were almost all gone. But he happens to be one of those people who just have a knack for making money. Within a short period of time, he was back on his feet, acquiring businesses – don't ask me how – and making quarters into dollars and dollars into fifties, and so on and so on."

Isaac shrugged his shoulders. "He's not a terribly ethical businessman, but he certainly knows how to turn a buck, as they say."

"So now he's on the board, and that gives you headaches," Sari looked sadly at her father and rubbed his shoulder.

"Well, not all the time, my dear. He does have good ideas, but we do clash on occasion. Just today, we talked about the long-range scanning units. His firm was the primary investor in them. Despite my efforts to acquire full funding, he persuaded the board to pay for one more, but only one more."

"But, that's a problem," Sari said. "We need a backup"

"Oh, you're right! I'd forgotten. Oh, looks like I'll have to lock horns with Powell again," he sighed.

"What if I came to the board, and explained how we need more than one unit?"

"Are you sure you want to wrestle with Powell? Remember the other time you got mad at him – you blasted him and Henry Masterson into the elevator."

"I think I can manage myself better this time," she smiled. Sari put down her chai and thought. "Say, I have an idea. Since my experience working with the long-range scanning unit, and discovering its error was on the moon as an Autobot, what if I came to the board meeting in 'bot' mode?"

"Hmmm. Interesting idea, Sari. I understand that since his experience with Stretch, he's a little bit intimidated by Autobots. Your presence in 'bot' mode might make him a little less confrontational. Oh, but the next board meeting's not until the day after tomorrow; you're due back before that."

Isaac had an idea: "Let me talk to Optimus. I think this appearance at the board might qualify as 'Autobot' work and perhaps he may let you extend your furlough a little bit."

"Sounds good, Dad. In the meantime, I'll start thinking about the best way to explain our need for the second unit, so I'll be prepared for any questions the board – or Powell – might have."

"Very good, Sari. Now, how about Adam? You wanted to pay him a visit."

"I called his Mom from the moon, but she said Adam's away on a camping trip. He won't be back until tomorrow. I'll make arrangements to stop by their home sometime then. You know what I'd like to do this afternoon though? I'd like to walk over to Grand Circus Park. That was Prowl's favorite spot."

"That sounds like a lovely idea, Sari. It's a beautiful day. Enjoy! I've got some work to do, so you go ahead. I will see you later on for dinner."

Sari took the elevator down and walked over to Grand Circus Park. This is the park where the statue of Hazen S. Pingree is located. It's also the place where Prowl got birdpooped on while observing nature, Sari chuckled. She sat on a park bench and took in the scenery: the birds, the trees, the children playing, the elderly sitting. She closed her eyes and felt the breeze blowing through her hair, and smelled the fragrant flowers blooming nearby. The laughter of children came to her ears. "This is my human side," she said to herself.

"Sari, you are gifted with two precious natures," said a voice. "Honor both of them." She knew it was Prowl speaking to her.

**Sari's reconnecting with her human half, and putting her technorganic inner self back in balance. As her father said, it's got to be a difficult task, but luckily she has friends and family from many places, and can draw on that help from earth, from the moon, from Cybertron, and other realms! **

**Tomorrow she'll visit the Witwicky residence and have a chance to talk with Adam. Her participation the following day at the Sumdac Systems board meeting ought to be interesting! Thanks for reading.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Takes place the following day. Sari's going to meet with Adam to apologize for their last encounter, and ask for his forgiveness.**

The next morning, Sari hopped on her scooter and went over to the Witwicky residence to learn when Adam was due home from his camping trip. She rang the doorbell and Mrs. Witwicky answered.

"Well hello there, Sari! Good to see you again. Come on in."

They went into the kitchen and she offered Sari some tea. "Adam's not due back for a little while. He called me on his cell phone about an hour ago; the signal was weak, but he said he and his friends had an early breakfast, and were on their way. I was about to tell him you were back from the moon, but the transmission dropped."

"You're more than welcome to stay here and wait for him if you want," she smiled.

Mrs. Witwicky poured herself a cup of tea and sat down. "So, tell me about the moon! What's it like to work up there? Are you actually working out on the lunar surface, with no atmosphere?"

"Yes, when I'm in 'bot' mode, I'm able to work in space. It's really beautiful up there, especially to look out at the stars. With no atmosphere, you can see the different colors. They say Betelgeuse is a red star, but from the moon it looks more orange than red. There's another star in the constellation Pisces, called 19 Piscium – that one is VERY red! Then you have the blue ones, like Bellatrix in Orion."

"Of course, the moon's surface is just shades of gray, but even then, with its craters and mountains, it's awesome in its own way."

"How do you communicate with the other Autobots? For that matter, how did you communicate with me over the video phone when you called me? Obviously in a vacuum you don't use your voice. Sorry for all the questions, Sari, but as a scientist, I'm intrigued."

"Oh, glad to answer! Autobots have comm links, and transmit to each other electronically. And when I called you I used the same comm link between my helmet and the video equipment."

Adam's mom rested her elbow on the table and her cheek in her hand. "You're a very lucky young lady, Sari. You have the most amazing life of anyone I've ever met. Adam's very fortunate to know you."

"Oh, thank you," Sari blushed. Her compliment made Sari feel even worse about how distant she acted the last time she was with Adam!

"I'm so sorry I was abrupt with you when you called me on the video phone. Your 'bot' mode startled me," she chuckled. Over at the Solar Fusion Plant, we have several robots, and I wanted to make sure it wasn't one of them calling me as a prank. Sometimes Mr. Witwicky does that to me," she smiled.

"Oh, that's OK. I should have realized not everyone's familiar with my 'bot' face. Like I said, I had to call that way since we haven't completed the human quarters yet."

"And the lunar temperatures - I imagine, especially on the far side, you're looking at something like minus 173 degrees centigrade!" Said Mrs. Witwicky. "Brrr! I need another sip of my tea!"

Sari chuckled, "Correct. But Autobots are equipped to work in those environments. So it's not a big deal."

"Absolutely incredible. On the other hand, I can see from an economic point of view, it makes perfect sense to have the Autobots do the initial construction. Can you imagine what it would have cost to have humans doing it, all the while having to provide for their environmental needs? I think Sumdac Systems did the right thing enlisting the Autobots for the initial construction."

That hadn't occurred to Sari. Her father's a pretty smart guy! "We should have the human quarters completed soon."

"Wonderful! I know this will be a very important monitoring station. Thank you for the work you all are doing up there." Just then they heard a car horn honking, and Mrs. Witwicky looked out the window. "Oh! It looks like they're here!" The van carrying Adam and his friends pulled up the driveway.

Sari suddenly had a sick feeling in her stomach. How will Adam react? She got up nervously from the kitchen table and went out to the driveway with Adam's mom. She stood shyly behind her.

Adam was the first one out of the van. "Hi Mom!" He said. He went up to her, and then spied Sari. She smiled nervously and waved, "Hi Adam! Surprise!"

"Sari? Hey! Sari!" He grabbed and hugged her. "Wow! This IS a surprise! I'm so glad to see you! When did you get here?"

"I asked Optimus if I could have a couple days off. I wanted to come see you and my Dad," she said. "I called the other day, but your Mom said you were away."

By this time, the others had gotten out of the van. There were five friends, two other guys and three girls. They came up the driveway and wondered what was going on.

"Hey, Adam, who's your friend?" asked one of the girls.

"Oh, Mikaela, everyone, I'd like to introduce Sari Sumdac. She's the girl I had talked about."

"You're Sari? The Autobot? Cool!" said one of the boys.

"Hi, everyone," said Sari, waving.

"Sari, this is Mikaela, Jennifer, Kristin, Sam, and Daniel. We're friends from Detroit College."

"Nice to meet you all," said Sari.

"Guys, remember I told you how Sari's been working up on the moon?" Adam continued. "Well, she's come down for a couple days."

Mrs. Witwicky had been carefully observing everyone's reactions since the van had arrived. She wished she had taken the time to clue Sari in to the fact that Adam had been seeing Mikaela. Not often, but a few times after Sari had left for the moon. "Darn it!" She thought. "Me and my scientific curiosity – I should kick myself for getting wrapped up asking those questions about working on the moon. Sari's such an innocent girl; I hope this goes well."

"Hey everyone," she asked the group. "Why don't you come inside the house for some snacks and a cold drink?"

All went inside to the living room, and Adam's mom served refreshments. Sari took Adam aside. "Hey Adam, I came down because I was hoping you and I could have a chance to talk. Would we be able to get together sometime today?"

"Sure, Sari! Everyone's heading home to unpack, freshen up and relax. We're going to get together tonight at the Mall. What do you say you and I have lunch together? Burger Bot?"

She smiled, "That'd be great!"

They all sat down in the living room and relaxed. Everyone began asking Sari questions. "What's it like being an Autobot?" "How do you work on the moon?" "Can you transform into a car?" Interestingly enough, Sari had matured and grown in self-confidence quite a bit over the last year – no doubt due to her Cyber-Ninja training. She rather enjoyed being the center of attention, and fielded the questions with ease.

"I'm half-Autobot, half-human. When I work on the moon, I'm in 'bot' mode, since we haven't yet completed the human quarters. No," she laughed, "I can't transform into a car; only a full Autobot can do that. I can only transform between 'human' and 'Autobot'."

"Well, why don't you transform now?" asked Mikaela.

"Oh come on," said Mrs. Witwicky. "Sari's not some kind of Circus performer. I'm sure she transforms when it's necessary, not to satisfy people's curiosity, or for entertainment."

"That's OK, Mrs. Witwicky," said Sari, "I don't mind." With that, there was a flash of blue, and she transformed into "bot" mode. Everyone was spellbound.

"Whoa!" Said Sam. "Are you like, metal?" Sari offered him a servo and he reached out to touch her armor. "Cool!"

"It's a Cybertronian material called 'Cyber metal'. Stronger than steel," She explained.

"And your voice," said Jennifer, "it sounds different than before. Really cool."

"Autobots have a voice box that allows them to communicate with humans, or any organic life forms that use sound to talk with one another."

"You mean Autobots don't normally communicate by voice?" asked Jennifer.

"No, they communicate electronically via comm link. That's how I'm able to talk with the other Autobots on the moon, since there's no atmosphere and we're in a vacuum."

"Your robot eyes are beautiful," said Kristin.

"Thanks, Kristin. We call them 'optics'. Autobots have different names for parts. For example, feet are called 'pedes'; hands are 'servos'; fingers are 'digits'.

"Are you able to be half Autobot, half human at the same time?" asked Daniel.

Sari transformed her head back to "human", keeping the rest of her body in "bot" mode. "You mean, like this?"

"Now that's neat," Daniel said. "So I would imagine, being of two natures and having a foot - or a foot and a pede, in both worlds, you would be a perfect candidate for ambassador between earth and Cybertron, Sari."

"Thanks, Daniel," she said. "I'm also studying to be a Cyber-Ninja, which is a Cybertronian martial arts guardian. My sensei has told me that one of my callings is to be an ambassador just as you describe."

Sari, you have the makings of a wonderful ambassador; I can see it right here with these kids, thought Mrs. Witwicky.

"OK everyone, I imagine you're all tired from your drive, and I'm sure you want to head home to freshen up and unpack. You have a good time tonight," she said to the group.

"Hey Sari, why don't you join us?" said Sam. "We're going to grab dinner at the Mall and just hang out." Everyone thought that was a good idea.

"Sure! I'd love to join you. It'd be my last night here before I have to go back to work on the moon; can't think of a better way to spend it."

"Excellent! We'll see you then!" said Daniel. The group headed outside to get in the van. Sari transformed back into full "human" mode. Everyone said their goodbyes. "Thanks, Mrs. Witwicky! See you Adam! See you Sari!"

"Bye Adam!" said Mikaela.

Adam, Sari and Mrs. Witwicky waved goodbye to the group, and Adam picked up his camping equipment. "OK Sari, I'm going to unpack and freshen up. Why don't I meet you at Burger Bot at noon?"

"Sounds good, Adam. See you then!" She hopped on her scooter and waved goodbye to the two. It was about 10:30, so she had time to head back to Sumdac Tower to let her Dad know the plans for the day. On the trip back to her home, she thought about Mikaela. She had some uneasy feelings, but was unsure what to make of them.

At noon, Sari parked her scooter and went in to the Burger Bot to meet Adam. "I'm so glad I had a chance to see you, Adam," she said. "I wanted to come because I have a confession to make. When I was on Cybertron, I was learning so much about my Autobot half, but I began neglecting my human side. And when you arranged that birthday party for me, it kick-started my human half back into gear! But then, I went back to Cybertron, and I allowed myself to slip back into Autobot mode once again."

"So, when I finally returned, my head was stuck in the clouds, thinking about my Autobot side, thinking about the moon and my mission instead of thinking about you. I know now that I was a 'robot brain' to you, just before I left. I should have been more affectionate, more caring, more – attentive."

Sari took Adam's hands. "I am so sorry for the way I behaved the last time we were together. That is why I came back here, to apologize. Please forgive me."

"Oh, Sari," said Adam. "I understand now what was going on! I was so confused the last time we were together. I got the idea you weren't interested in me anymore. Oh, what an idiot I am!" He threw his head back and grimaced.

Looking back at her, he said, "Sari, I have a confession to make too. After you left for the moon, I felt hurt. I started seeing other girls. I've been seeing Mikaela lately. We went on the camping trip together. That's why she was acting strangely this morning."

Sari gasped. She let go of his hands. She looked down and a horrible, pained expression crossed her face. Looking back at Adam, a tear came to her eye. "Oh Adam, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

"Don't say that! We both made mistakes. I've only seen Mikaela a few times; you and I have been together much, much longer."

Unfortunately that did not help! Sari slapped the table. "So what, Adam? I'm going back to the moon tomorrow! I'll be there for a couple more months – what then? What do we do?"

Her emotions were starting to reach levels for which she wasn't prepared. She felt simultaneously betrayed, sad, fearful, angry, remorseful, confused – blending and churning together in a toxic mix. Bubbling out to the surface was a rage. How could he do this? Why didn't his mother say anything about Mikaela this morning? Where do we go from here? What do I do? What do I do?

Whereas yesterday she was celebrating her human side, now she was wishing she could jettison it like an out of control reactor core.

She looked at Adam, and her emotions frightened her.

She did the only thing she could think of. With a flash of blue, she transformed into "bot" mode and walked out of the restaurant. At least in "bot" mode, her human emotions would be shoved in her subspace chamber.

The restaurant patrons gasped at the sudden sight of an Autobot.

Adam followed her outside. "Sari, wait!" he cried.

"Not now, Adam," she said. "I need to think."

"Sari, please!"

She walked a few steps, hesitated, then stopped. "Actually, I'm good. With my human emotions out of the way, I can see things from a different perspective." She turned and looked at Adam. "Let's look at things from Mikaela's side. Here she is, dating you, going on a camping trip, having a great time, and all of a sudden, out of the blue, I show up unannounced – your old girlfriend. No wonder she acted the way she did! I probably would have done the same thing!"

Adam looked at her, not knowing what to say.

Sari's optics looked off to a distant point, as she pondered things. "It's a messy situation, is what it is," she observed.

"But, this is my 'bot' side talking. I think what I need to do is go sit under Prowl's tree and meditate – probably in 'human' mode, so I can work through all these emotions."

She looked back at him with sad optics. "Adam, I'm sorry I blew up at you. It's not your fault. But before I go, can you forgive me for being a dumb 'bot' the last time we were together?"

"Of course, Sari," said Adam, wiping a tear. "Can you forgive me for my stupid mistakes?"

Her optics registered a smile and she rested a servo on his shoulder. "Hey, my 'bot' side says 'no prob' – and I know my 'human' side will too. Just let me do some meditating; these emotions need some sorting through, OK?"

"OK. See you tonight?"

"Most likely! Why don't I give you a call in a little while?"

"You got it. See ya!"

Sari transformed her scooter into her jetpack and she flew over to Autobot headquarters. Going into Prowl's room, she got under his tree and transformed into "human" mode. Immediately, the emotions came roaring back. She managed to get into the Lotus position and began meditating.

"Be at peace. Be at peace. Be at peace." She said to herself. Eyes closed, her face reflected no peace. The emotions were waging a war inside her. Meditation was nearly impossible.

"Sari, to be at peace, you must learn to forgive. But you must first forgive yourself."

"I will, Prowl, I will."

She repeated to herself: "I forgive myself. I forgive Adam. I forgive his mom."

After a while, she was able to say,

"I am at peace." Her face reflected the inner resolution.

Eventually, Sari got up, left the room and called Adam from Autobot headquarters. "Hey, Adam, see you tonight?"

"You know it! You OK?"

"Oh, yeah," she smiled. "Looking forward to seeing everyone. Before then, would it be OK if I stopped by real quick?"

"Sure! I'm just hanging around. See you in a few."

Sari transformed her jetpack back into a scooter and returned to the Witwicky house. They talked outside in the driveway.

"First off, my 'human' side forgives you also," and she gave him a hug.

"Secondly, let's you and I take things one step at a time. It's not fair to you for me to be away so much. We can always be friends. Tonight I'm going to hang with everyone; I want you to be with Mikaela, OK?"

She held his hands. "Adam, I will never, EVER, forget what you did for my 17th birthday party! Thank you so much for giving me that awesome gift!" And she kissed him on the cheek.

"Oh, Sari!" And they gave each other a warm embrace. Mrs. Witwicky watched from inside. She and Adam had talked after he came home; he was confused and upset about everything that had transpired, from the time Sari had first left for the moon, to today at Burger Bot. She was glad to see they were reconciling. "Sari, you are one good kid," she thought to herself.

**So Sari and Adam will be friends for now, good friends. Given that she will be away so often, perhaps that is as it should be.**

**Everyone had a great time that evening, and Sari enjoyed herself with Adam's friends.**

**Tomorrow, she will help her father at the Sumdac System board meeting, convincing them to fund an additional long-range scanning unit. Can she be successful dealing with Porter C. Powell? We shall see! Thanks for reading.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sari's headed home after spending time with Adam and her new friends. This was the last night of her furlough, and she had a great time!**

Sari got a ride home with her friends in Daniel's van that evening. "Hey Daniel, where'd you get such a big van?" She asked. "This looks like the kind they use for airport shuttles!"

"Funny you should say that, Sari," he chuckled. "My Dad owns a shuttle service. This is one of his used ones; I got it repainted for college."

"And you've even got a bike rack in the front – neat! Thanks for letting me hook my scooter onto it."

"My pleasure. Didn't want you riding around the streets of Detroit at night – even IF you are an Autobot," he smiled.

"Well, here we are – Sumdac Tower." Daniel parked the van, and everyone got out to say goodbye to Sari. There were hugs all around.

"Bye Sari! We'll miss you!" "Good luck with your work on the moon!" "Be sure to come see us when you return, OK?" "Say hi to Bumblebee and Bulkhead for me!"

The last to say goodbye were Adam and Mikaela. "Hey Sari, I'm glad I had a chance to meet you," said Mikaela. "Sorry if our introduction was a little – bumpy."

"Oh, hey, no worries," Sari replied. "I'm glad I met you too Mikaela. I hope to see you and Adam again when I return," and gave her a hug.

"Bye Sari," said Adam. "See you when you get back," and hugged goodbye.

"See you, Adam," she replied. "And you keep up the good work on your studies!" she smiled. "Tell your Mom bye for me, OK?"

Sari unhooked her scooter and gave everyone a final goodbye wave. She entered the tower and took the elevator up to the residential area. Her father was relaxing in the living room. "Hi Dad!" she came up and gave him a kiss.

"Well, hello my Sari! Did you have a good time?"

"Oh, it was great! Adam's friends and I had dinner and then we hung around. It was so nice to just kick back, have fun and relax," she said.

"Good for you, my dear," Isaac replied. "And I spoke with Optimus this afternoon about your appearance tomorrow at the board. He agreed that your work qualifies as 'bot' work, so you won't be due back at the moon until later in the day. Oh, and he thinks the idea of you showing up in 'bot' mode to encourage Porter to be a little less confrontational is a good one."

"Here's what he wants you to do: after the board meeting, I'm scheduling a meeting for the three of us in my conference room to talk about the board's decision, and then you two will return to the moon. Once there, he wants you to brief him on your experiences during your furlough. He said he wants to learn more about how humans relate to one another, and that since you are the ambassador between our planets, you're the most qualified to teach him."

Sari's eyes opened wide and her jaw dropped. "Me? Teach Optimus? Wow!"

"But of course! You are more than meets the eye, my dear," he smiled. Isaac got up from his recliner and yawned. "Well, good night, my Sari, I am going to turn in. Will see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Daddy," and she gave him a kiss on the cheek. Sari stayed up a little longer, putting her plans together for what she would say at the board meeting.

The next day, the Sumdac Systems Board of Directors meeting commenced. On the agenda was a motion to consider funding for an additional long-range scanning unit for Farside Beacon One. The motion was filed by Professor Sumdac.

"Professor Sumdac," said Porter C. Powell, "I thought I had made it clear at our last meeting that it would not be advisable to fund more than a single unit at this time, until it can be proven the units are reliable."

"Yes, I understand," said Isaac. That is why I thought it would be worth the board's time to hear expert testimony from someone who has actual experience using the long-range scanner, and why it is necessary to have a backup unit. Would hearing this testimony be acceptable to the board?"

Isaac's proposal was accepted. Powell raised an eyebrow, wondering what he might be up to.

"In that case, ladies and gentlemen of the board, please welcome one of the Autobots who is working right now on Farside Beacon One, and came down from the moon to speak to us." Isaac got up to open the door, and Sari entered the boardroom in "bot" mode. "Please, have a seat," he said, "and tell us your experience using the long-range scanner."

A sense of awe filled the room. None of the board members had ever seen an Autobot up close - Powell, seeing an Autobot, nearly fell out of his chair!

"Thank you," said Sari. "As Professor Sumdac had said, I have been working on the moon with the other two Autobots building the Farside Beacon One station. My assignment has been to assemble the station's network and electronic components, so I am very familiar with the functioning of Sumdac System's long-range scanner."

"When I installed it, we began running an exhaustive series of tests. We soon began seeing an inordinate number of false positives; the unit would warn us about an incoming asteroid, but when we went to visually confirm these warnings, there were no asteroids to be found."

"One of my particular Autobot mods gives me the ability to enter an electronic system and 'speak' to its circuitry. In order to fully diagnose the problem, we had to completely shut down the long-range scanner. This was dangerous to do! You see, we had only a single long-range scanning unit on hand, and when we shut it down, Farside Beacon One was blind."

"We had no choice, however, since the unit was not functioning properly. We shut it down, and I entered the system. It was then that I discovered the rare-earth elements were calibrated incorrectly. Unfortunately, the scientist had calibrated them for an observer on earth, not the moon."

The good news is, we discovered the cause. The bad news is, while the scanner was down the station was blind, and during those few hours a meteor struck the moon taking out our tower and damaging the one unit we had. It was at that time we learned the vital importance of having a backup long-range scanning unit"

"While I was inside the long-range scanning unit, but before the meteor hit I was able to check and double-check every other circuit. I can attest to you that the rare-earth calibration is the only component that is defective. All other parts are functioning at 100%."

"In conclusion let me take this opportunity to thank the board for funding a replacement unit with the correct calibration," said Sari. "But please, consider funding a backup unit for us. Every component on Farside Beacon One needs redundancy and the long-range scanning unit is no exception. Having it there will guarantee that there will be no interruptions in protecting the earth from rogue asteroids or worse, a Decepticon attack."

Sari looked around at the board, and saw receptive faces. Powell still looked somewhat shaken. "Are there any questions I can answer?" she asked.

"What's it like to work on the moon?" asked one of the members.

Sari smiled. "It's actually very beautiful, in its own way. The moon is shades of gray, but the lunar sky lets you see all the stars and constellations very clearly."

"What's your progress on building the station?" another asked.

"We are currently on schedule," Sari said. "My Autobot partners and I are working hard to make sure Farside Beacon One will be ready for full operation."

"How do you feel about building this for us? When will humans be able to see it?"

"We are honored to be able to build this station, and in a couple of months, the human quarters will be ready for the first earth station occupants to join us. We are looking forward to the day when Autobots and the people of earth are working side by side on Farside Beacon One!"

The board broke out into applause.

Isaac spoke up, "If there are no other questions, do we have a motion?"

"Hold on! Hold on!" Powell finally found his voice and spoke up. "How do we know this is an Autobot? For all we know, Professor Sumdac may be bringing someone here in some kind of a..a..Halloween costume!"

"Is there anything I can do to satisfy your skepticism, Mr. Powell?" Sari asked.

"Oh, I dunno." He walked over to her and waved his hand in front of her face. "Let's see you do something…Autobotty."

Sari chuckled to herself. "OK, let's see," she thought, standing up. "Nothing destructive. Oh, I got it. Perfect!" And she materialized her energy hammer. Holding it aloft, energy crackling inches over Powell's head, she said "How's this?"

Powell squealed, fell back, and collapsed into a chair. Some of the board members snickered. Sari retracted the hammer.

Isaac said "Thank you for that demonstration. Are there any further questions?" There were none. Powell was silent. "Then can the board consider the proposal to fund an additional long-range scanner?"

The proposal was agreed to and the station had its backup unit! Powell was unable to voice any objections; in fact, it was a while before he was able to get up.

After the board meeting, Sari and Isaac left for his conference room. "Wonderful job, Sari! I am so proud of the way you handled yourself in there!"

"Thanks, Dad," she said.

"Oh, Sari, I have to admit, I almost lost it when I saw you holding your energy hammer over Powell's head," he laughed. "I think the sparks made his bouffant dance! It was all I could do to keep from laughing out loud. That was the turning point of the meeting."

"Well, the most important thing is, we've got our backup unit," she smiled through her optics.

Optimus was in Isaac's conference room as they entered. "So how did things go?" he asked.

"We've got the second unit, Optimus," said Isaac. "Sari convinced the board, and she did a marvelous job keeping Powell from sabotaging my proposal."

"Excellent job, Sari! Now we will have complete redundancy for the station."

"I just spoke with Bumblebee and Bulkhead," he said, "and they have been doing well, but they're looking forward to seeing you again. They told me they hope you had a great furlough."

"I did indeed, sir," she said. "Looking forward to rejoining them."

"Well Professor, I hear the replacement long-range scanner will be ready for shipment in a few days."

"That is correct," said Isaac. "And with the new funding, we can begin assembling the second unit immediately."

"Good to hear," said Optimus. "So shall we head on back to Farside Beacon One, Sari?"

"Ready to go, sir!"

They adjourned their meeting and took the elevator up to the roof of Sumdac Tower. Isaac began powering up the space bridge and walked over to Sari.

"Well my dear, I will say goodbye for now, but will be seeing you on the video conferences." He held her servos in his hands.

"Goodbye Daddy. I love you!" She gave him a "bot" hug.

With that, the space bridge fully charged and generated its huge blue orb. Sari and Optimus jumped in, and the orb disappeared. It reappeared on the space bridge at Farside Beacon One, where Bulkhead was botting the controls. "Welcome back, you two!" he said.

"Thank you, Bulkhead!" said Optimus.

"Hey, Bulky!" said Sari.

**Good furlough! Sari had a chance to work out her relationships, and work out some important things about her two natures. Now that she's back at Farside Beacon One, her first task will be to help Optimus in his desire to learn a little bit more about human relationships. Being an ambassador, she's well equipped to do so! Thanks for reading.**


	8. Chapter 8

**After their return to the moon, Sari & Optimus sit down for a meeting aboard the Ark-32. Optimus wants to talk about her furlough, and he hopes from the conversation to gain a deeper understanding about human relationships.**

After leaving the space bridge, Optimus and Sari entered the Ark-32. "Let's go into my conference room," he told her. There, they sat down for a private conversation.

"So, how was your furlough, Sari?"

"It was great, sir! Thanks for giving me the time off!"

"Oh, it was my pleasure! Do you believe you were able to achieve that balance you were seeking?"

"Yes, I do. Reconnecting with my family and friends was exactly what I needed. And while I was there, I could sense Prowl speaking to my Spark; he was guiding me. He helped me find that balance between my Autobot nature and my human nature."

"I'm very glad, Sari. Now, I have a request to make. Let me start by explaining my particular challenge," he said. "Since the Autobot High Council has assigned me to be in command here on earth, I take it as an important responsibility to know more about humans. Unfortunately, I have to confess that even after several stellar cycles, many things about human interactions still confuse me."

"While you were on furlough, I took the opportunity to go aboard the Mirror-Manifold II and visit with Glyph. She's been studying humans since arriving here, and I had hoped she'd be a good resource, but I'm afraid her explanations were a bit too scientific."

"I was wondering, Sari, if with your dual natures, you might be able to help me understand humans better."

"Certainly, sir! Glad to explain what I can."

"For example, when we last met here on the moon, you said that you were neglecting your human half. If I may ask, what was it that was being neglected?"

"Well, when I returned from Cybertron, I was polite and courteous with my father and with Adam, as all Autobots should be – well, sometimes, Ratchet's grumpy," she winked. They both chuckled.

"But, my 'human' touch was missing." Sari tried to think of a way to explain this. "I was too cool, too unconnected, too…detached."

"Humans do seem more…lively, more…animated with each other, I've noticed. Captain Fanzone, for example, he always seems very excited. Is that what you mean?"

"In a way," she said. "But, humans have a much, much greater range than that, and a much greater variety of emotions and feelings. Captain Fanzone's a bit of an extreme example."

"You said you were detached – meaning, your reaction to people was more like that of an Autobot than a human. If I may, let's start with your father. Did he notice this detachment?"

Sari thought for a nanoclick. She looked off at a distance and her optics narrowed. "I'm not sure, maybe, probably. He loves me, and is a very patient and understanding man, so if he did, he likely overlooked it."

Optimus raised an optic and sighed. "Fascinating, Sari. Human relationships may be the most complex things in the universe!"

"So this time around, you began your furlough. We arrived on the roof of Sumdac Tower, I excused myself and took the elevator down. You reunited with your father. What was different?"

"This time, I made sure my "human side" kicked in, and I wanted to express my love for my Dad."

"In what way, if I may ask?"

"In lots of little ways," she said. "For example, serving chai and brownie to him; listening to his frustrations dealing with Powell; rubbing his shoulder."

"Chai? Brownie?" Optimus didn't know these things.

"Chai is a hot beverage. My father's favorite drink. Brownie is a sweet dessert."

"Pardon my ignorance of human consumables, thanks." He smiled. "But, these 'little ways' you speak of, that's what I find confusing. Forgive me for saying, but those things seem so…trivial," said Optimus. "What is it about them that makes them human, makes them important?"

"They're important because they're expressions of the relationship between a parent and a child, which is very special to humans," explained Sari. "Did Glyph talk to you about ἀγάπη?"

"She mentioned that word, yes," said Optimus. "But I'm afraid she lost me. What does it mean?"

Sari tried to explain. "Do you remember when Masterson was attacking my dad and me at Burger Bot? It was right after I first discovered I was not fully human and I was scared and really mad at my dad?"

"Yes, of course. I'd arranged that surreptitious luncheon for you two," he smiled.

"Well, Masterson was ready to step on the two of us in that Starscream body he'd taken over. But my dad hid me and confronted Masterson all by himself!"

"Yes, that was very brave of him," said Optimus.

"Protecting me and walking up to Masterson by himself, that was ἀγάπη," said Sari.

"Masterson was ready to step on my dad," she continued, "and I got out from where I was hiding, and blasted his Starscream leg out of the way, even though I had very little control over my powers at the time. I couldn't have taken on Masterson; he could have squashed me, too! But even though I was in mortal danger, even though I was still angry at my father, I wasn't about to let him get hurt. That also was ἀγάπη."

"Glyph said ἀγάπη means 'love', but she told me 'love' means too many other things," said Optimus.

"Yes, sometimes English can be a little bit sloppy," said Sari. That is why Glyph uses that Greek word – it's more precise."

"What about during your furlough? Did you express ἀγάπη then?" he asked.

"Yes," Sari explained. "I served him the chai and brownie as a way of expressing my ἀγάπη, but also as a way of honoring my father. Well, doing that – making the chai and serving it to him was more of a cultural thing."

"Ah yes, human culture; Glyph tried explaining that to me as well, but again, she tended to get very technical, and it gave me a processor-ache. I understand that there are many cultures on earth."

"Oh, yes, thousands. Mine is a blend of American and Hindu."

"What!? Thousands? And there are blends? Oh my," groaned Optimus, putting a servo to his faceplate.

"Especially in America," said Sari. "There, we have what is called a 'melting pot'. America is a very heterogeneous society. I'm afraid, Optimus, there you'll find mostly blends," she smiled.

"My father and I are Americans – well, no, that's not right. He's an American, I'm a Cybertronian," she smiled. "But, even though my father and I share an American culture, my family's cultural heritage is Hindu, which comes from India. He grew up in Paw Paw Michigan, but his family originally came from Mumbai, India."

"Did you know that my dādī – my grandmother – speaks almost no English?"

"I did not know that," said Optimus. "What language does she speak?

"She speaks her native language, Hindi. When I was a little girl, she and I had a really hard time communicating, since I only knew a couple of Hindi words, and she only knew a few English words. My Dad had to be the interpreter. Fortunately, my language mod kicked in a little while after my upgrade, and now we can talk easily!" she smiled.

"Tell me more about the cultural significance of the chai and brownie thing you did with your father," said Optimus. "That seems important."

Sari sat back and thought of an explanation. "There is a Hindu text called the 'Manu Smriti', or 'Laws of Manu' that elaborates on the basic Hindu tenets. One section tells the child:

"_**The trouble that a mother and father endure in giving birth to human beings cannot be redeemed even in a hundred years. He should constantly do what pleases the two of them"**_

Now, of course, being technorganic, the best I can do is adapt that for myself," Sari said, "but I get the meaning. The trouble my father went through to bring me into the world – as I saw when I viewed that archive tape of my 'birth' – cannot ever be redeemed. Instead, I should constantly strive to do what pleases him."

"And so, you want to try to do what pleases him, such as when you served him the chai and brownie. This is ἀγάπη?" Optimus thought he was finally getting this.

"Well, yes, but there's more to it than that. I brewed the chai, which is a multi-step process. At the same time I was looking in the kitchen for something really nice for him to have as a treat. I found a delicious red velvet cheesecake brownie. When the chai was done, I put it in the teapot, and set everything out carefully on a tea tray: teapot; cup, saucer & spoon; plate & brownie; napkin. Then, I carried it into the living room, set it down on the table, kneeled and served it to my Dad. Oh, I almost forgot: I served to his left side. In our culture, the younger serves to the elder's left."

"The left side is important?" Optimus asked, looking lost again.

"In Hindu culture, yes. Sorry, maybe I didn't need to throw in that detail," she smiled and waved her servos. "TMI, TMI!"

"But anyway, conceptually, all these little details may seem trivial to a non-human, but in reality, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Tied in with my Hindu culture, it is a ritual: a way for me to express sincere gratitude and thanks towards my father for having helped me to be what I am."

"This is something I wanted to do for him ever since Arcee made me think about my last visit. However small it may seem, it is a way for me to show my ἀγάπη ."

"I think I understand, Sari. Thank you for that explanation," said Optimus.

"Now, what about Adam?"

"Well, with Adam, it was different," said Sari. The relationship between a boyfriend and a girlfriend gets closer to human mating rituals. Remember way back, when I whispered in your audio sensor where human babies come from?"

"Oh, yes," said Optimus, looking a little bit uncomfortable. "I remember."

"Human teenagers make their first steps down the path of exploring those rituals. It's a very tricky path, but it's a crucial part of growing up," she explained. "Adam and I have a very special relationship, but as a technorganic, I also had a very important lesson to learn. When I first met him, I began to treat our relationship as a normal human girl would – which, looking back now, I can see would have been a natural part of my human development, if I was 100% human."

"However, I am not 100% human, I am half Autobot. As Dataminer told me, my Spark will let me go on to live for millions of stellar cycles! Now, how fair would that have been to Adam, for him as a human, to grow old, frail, and die, and for me to remain as I am now?"

"Not very fair, I would imagine," said Optimus.

"No, not very fair at all," said Sari. "And so, in a way, it was a good thing for me to have been, what I referred to as a 'bot head' to Adam when I returned from Cybertron. I was again, cool, unconnected, and detached with him."

"How did Adam react?"

"He felt hurt," Sari said, and her optics were sad. "He thought I no longer cared for him. Of course, this was not correct. But after I left for the moon, it caused him to go date other human girls, and he met a very nice one, named Mikaela."

"And…that was a good thing?"

"Yes in the long run," explained Sari. "Although, it was not apparent to me at first. During my furlough, my plan was to apologize to Adam. I did not know about Mikaela, and when he told me, my human side reacted very, very badly."

"Why? I'm sorry, is it OK to ask?"

"It's alright, I can answer now," Sari said. "Humans can be very competitive in this mating ritual I've described, especially teenagers, being young and immature. And, when I first met Adam as I said, I allowed myself to fall into this ritual as if I were a normal human girl. So when I went down on furlough and suddenly discovered that Adam had been dating Mikaela, my teenage female human reactions boiled up to the surface. A lot of bad, negative human emotions almost made me lose control."

"Like Captain Fanzone?"

Sari had to laugh at that one! "Ha! No, not quite. But it was bad enough that I had to switch into 'bot' mode to suppress the human emotions until I could get under Prowl's tree to meditate. That was when Prowl guided me. It was while I was in meditation that I was able to see things more clearly: that as a technorganic, it is not fair to a full human for me to indulge in those kinds of mating rituals. As much as I might have liked it at first, I must accept the fact that I am not a normal human girl."

"Prowl told me that I have two natures, and it is a gift that I must honor."

"I met with Adam, and reconciled with him for my earlier mistakes. I also told him that I wanted the two of us to be friends, as well as Mikaela and I – kind of like the way Ratchet and Arcee are friends."

"I think I understand," said Optimus. "So Adam and Mikaela are free to pursue their human mating rituals, and you can be an Autobot friend to both of them."

"Yes, yes, exactly," she said. "Also, while I was there, I met several of Adam and Mikaela's friends. We all went out together the night before I left, and had a great time!"

"Sari, this helps me a great deal," said Optimus. "Thank you very much for sharing your insights with me. I think I have a better understanding of human relationships. Perhaps, if there are other questions I may have, you would be willing to help me out?"

"Absolutely, sir! Please ask me any time!"

"Will do. I think you will make a fine ambassador for our two planets."

**Sari and Optimus discussed her furlough, and she was able to use her experiences to help him understand more about human relationships. **

**Sari's two natures are in better balance, and she has learned that while her two natures are a precious gift, she must always be careful to weigh the impact her choices might have on those individuals with whom she comes in contact. Her strength lies not just in her myriad and powerful mods, but also in the strong relationships she builds with her family and friends. Thanks for reading.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Takes place right after Sari and Optimus have their private conversation. Sari gets to rejoin Bumblebee and Bulkhead, and learn something interesting about her orb mod.**

Sari and Optimus exited the Ark-32, and walked back towards the Farside Beacon One construction area. Bulkhead walked toward them. "Hey, Optimus, the parts for the new tower arrived. Should we start working on it?" he asked.

"Perfect timing, Bulkhead," said Optimus. "Sari, why don't you and Bulkhead get started on that?"

"Sounds good!" she said. So Optimus went in to check on Bumblebee, while Sari and Bulkhead started hauling the parts for the new tower over to the assembly site.

"So, Sari, how'd your furlough go? Did you have a good time?"

"It was great, Bulky! I had a wonderful visit with my Dad, and met some new friends of Adam's."

"Aw, that's nice! Me and Bumblebee were just fine while you were away. 'Course, now that you're back, we can have our 'Three Amigos' thing going again, right?"

"You betcha!" she replied. They arrived at the site where the original tower was located. Bulkhead had already cleared out the debris from the collision with the asteroid and moved everything about half a kilometer away.

"Hey! Great job clearing the area!" Sari said. "And then you moved everything way over there next to that clearing. The scrap and the rocks look like a couple of sculptures. Did you make them into pyramids?"

"Heh! Yeah! Like it? First, I used my wrecking balls to smash it all up, then to shape 'em."

"Cool! We should call them 'The Bulkymids'." They both laughed.

"OK, we told Boss-bot we could get this back up in a couple megacyles," said Bulkhead, "so I guess we'd better get started." So they began work on the new tower assembly.

They were still busy putting the new tower together when Bumblebee came by. "Hey guys, Optimus gave me a message from earth. They wanted to know if there were any parts left over from the old tower, and, whoa! What are those?" he looked over and spied "The Bulkymids".

"Oh, that's Bulky's latest artistic creation," said Sari, wiring a unit way up on top of the tower. "Whaddya think?"

"Interesting, interesting," he replied, crossing his arms and tapping a digit on his chin. "What's it supposed to represent?"

"Bumblebee," said Bulkhead impatiently, gesturing towards his latest creation, "art is supposed to be what it speaks to the individual. What does it say to you?"

Bee looked at it for a bit, turned back to Bulkhead and replied, "I'll tell you what it says to me; It says: metal triangular-shaped thingy and rock triangular-shaped thingy."

Bulkhead shook his helmet and sighed. "No appreciation for the artiste." Sari giggled.

"Hey, wait a minute," said Bumblebee doing a double-take, "is THAT what's left over from the wrecked tower? They want it back! That's what I was coming by to tell you. They said they were going to recycle the metal."

"Say what? Aw, darn it!" said Bulkhead. He put his arms down and lowered his helmet, looking disappointed.

"Oh, gee, sorry, Bulky," said Sari, "Hey, I liked it!" she came from the tower and patted his side. "At least we can keep the rock one, right?"

"No, it won't be the same," he said. "I wanted them as a set." Dejected, he walked over and planned to smash the rock pyramid with his wrecking ball.

"Hey, wait!" said Sari. "Would you mind terribly if I tried something out? I mean, as long as we're going to demolish the rock pyramid?"

"No, go ahead, Sari. What do you have in mind?" said Bulkhead.

"Something Ratchet mentioned to me, before I left for my furlough." With that, Sari held her right servo out, palm up. She concentrated, and a tiny, shiny blue light appeared, eventually taking the form of a little orb, floating just above it.

"Uh Sari," asked Bumblebee, pointing at the orb, "what's that?"

"Something Dataminer said I ought to be able to do," she replied. She made the orb grow larger until it was about 12 cm in diameter, and when she was satisfied, it stopped. Sari moved her digits, and the orb, emitting popping blue sparkles and tiny, blue cloud-like formations that streaked and circled it, began slowly spinning.

"Kinda looks like an angry little planet," said Bulkhead.

"Hey, this is kind of cool!" she said.

"Does that hurt at all?" asked Bumblebee.

"No, not at all. I can feel it floating above my servo, and I can sense it spinning. If I stop my digits..." she stopped her digits, and the orb immediately stopped spinning. "...it stops. I can also make it spin in the other direction," and her digits made it spin accordingly. "Although it floats, it's almost like holding a ball," she said, tossing it up and down like a baseball.

"What happens if you turn your servo upside down?" asked Bulkhead.

"Whoa, whoa whoa! Bulky, Sari, you sure?" Bee jumped back a step. "I mean, what happens if that thing drops and hits the ground? I don't want a Lugnut POKE!"

"Let me try a little bit," she said, and turned her servo just a little bit diagonally. "It's staying!" Indeed, the orb was matching the plane of her servo. Sari moved it a little more, until it was almost 90 degrees. Still it matched the angle of her palm. "It's not going anywhere, as long as I control it," she said.

Finally, with a responding "Eeeee!" from Bee, she turned her palm upside down. The orb stayed put! "Whew!" he said.

"I gotta admit, that IS cool!" said Bulkhead.

"OK, let me try throwing this." She cocked her right arm back like a baseball pitcher, left leg up, still holding the orb steadily in her servo, and threw it at the rock pyramid. Once it made contact, the pyramid imploded with a huge white flash!

"What the...? No explosion? It just...disappeared inside itself like a, like a black hole, err, white hole!" said Bumblebee. "That was weird!" All three looked at the now vacant spot where the pyramid had been, then looked at each other.

They walked over to the bare site. The implosion left a triangular-shaped reverse silhouette: where the pyramid had sat, the ground was flat and gray, but splattering out from the outline was a white starburst-shaped covering that spread out 1-3 meters.

"Where'd it go?" asked Bulkhead. "And what's all that white stuff?"

"I have no idea, but we'd better tell Optimus," said Bumblebee. "I sure wasn't expecting THAT to happen."

"I wasn't expecting that, either," said Sari. I'd better let Ratchet know, too, and maybe he can pass that along to Dataminer so he can do some more...data mining about this mod."

"Well, we're almost done with this tower, so let's finish her up, and then we can go look for Boss-bot." said Bulkhead. "Was he going to stay in the base, or was he headed back to the Ark-32?"

"He said he was going back to the Ark-32 to talk with Arcee," said Bumblebee. "Wanted a status report on the Decepticon ship."

Bumblebee pitched in, and in a short time the tower was finished. The Three Amigos headed over to the Ark-32. Optimus was finishing up his status with Arcee.

"How's the tower?" he asked the trio.

"All done, Boss-bot," said Bulkhead. There's something else though, we thought we oughtta talk to you about."

"OK, let's go into my conference, room," he replied. "Anyone else you think should be there?"

"I think we need Ratchet," said Sari.

"Hmm, this is beginning to sound interesting," he replied, and touched his comm. Ratchet? Can you meet me in my conference room? Sari, Bumblebee and Bulkhead have some information to discuss with us."

The Three Amigos shared their experience testing out Sari's mod with Optimus and Ratchet. "Very interesting, Sari," said Ratchet. "You say the pyramid just imploded, leaving white sediment of some kind? I'll go take a sample and do some analysis. If you don't mind, after I've had a chance to look at the white remains, I'd like you to do it one more time with me, under more controlled conditions."

"Hopefully we'll have the time for those experiments," said Optimus.

"What do you mean, Optimus?" asked Ratchet.

"I just finished a status report with Arcee, and I'm afraid I've got some bad news. She's run a scan of that Decepticon ship, and it appears it's crewed by Team Chaar."

Everyone gasped. "What the heck are THEY doing here?" asked Bumblebee.

"We don't know," he replied. "But Arcee's already alerted the Autobot High Council, and they're likely to be sending us reinforcements."

"Where are they now?" Ratchet asked.

"They're still taking their time, apparently. They've landed on Ganymede and have been there for two solar cycles."

"In the meantime, we'll continue to closely monitor their movements. I suppose, unless they make a sudden move headed this way, we can continue with our current activities. But be prepared to go on alert the moment Arcee detects any danger."

The impromptu meeting ended, Optimus went to go talk with Jazz. Sari and Ratchet went over to the place where Bulkhead's pyramid imploded. Bee and Bulkhead headed back to Farside Beacon One.

"Well would ya look at that?" said Ratchet. He bent down and scooped up some of the white residue with a test tube. He then used the magnifier on his optic to look closer at the residue on the ground. "Hmm. It doesn't appear to be a deposit. It looks to be the original lunar regolith – it just got its color changed white. I'm guessing the energy from that implosion sucked all the color out of the matter."

He got back up and turned to Sari. "Fascinating discovery there, kiddo. Let's see if we can recreate it. I'm sure we can find a big rock somewhere that wouldn't mind taking a trip to never-never land – or wherever it is that pyramid went."

"Sure thing, Ratchet," she said. And the two walked around the lunar surface near the base until they came upon a large rock, about the size of a house. "How's that one look to you?" asked Ratchet.

"Fine by me," she replied.

"OK, I'm going to keep a sharp eye out on everything you do here, so I can send it back to Dataminer. It's kind of like what humans do with video recorders. Just do everything you did with Bumblebee and Bulkhead, OK?"

"Got it!" and so Sari went and repeated everything, including how she adjusted the angle of her servo, demonstrating that the orb would stay floating on her palm, even upside down.

"OK ready to throw it!" and she went and threw it at the rock. Just like before, as soon as the orb made contact with the rock, there was a huge white flash, and the rock imploded.

"I watched that carefully," said Ratchet. "As soon as your orb made contact with the rock, a blue-white energy enveloped it, and then there was the white flash, at which point the rock began to collapse within itself, as if the molecules in the rock got sucked into a black hole, except that the event horizon existed only within the limits of the rock itself. Otherwise, of course, we all would have gotten sucked in," he chuckled.

Sari chuckled, too…nervously.

"So…where did it go?" she asked.

"I have no idea!" he said. "Some other galaxy? Another part of the universe? Swindle's personal storage dimension? Now, if THAT were the case, you should do that to lots of rocks!" He winked.

"At any rate, I'll send all this to Dataminer, and let him sort through it all. Be that as it may, it's quite a neat weapon you've got there, Sari."

**Ratchet will examine the residue from the collapsed pyramid, and send the information on to Dataminer for his expert analysis. But what is Team Chaar doing on Ganymede? Thanks for reading.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sari goes back to working on Farside Beacon One, and "The Three Amigos" are back! Testing of the corrected long-range sensor finally shows some accurate readings.**

Sari completed the hookup and configuration of the new long-range sensor in the Farside Beacon One's control station, and she and Bumblebee began testing it out. "Well, so far, we're not getting crazy warnings like we did before," said Bee.

Inside the Farside Beacon One control station was a large display board connected to the long-range sensor. It read:

**ALL SYSTEMS NOMINAL  
**Object(s) Detected: None  
Number: n/a  
Estimated Time of Impact: n/a  
Probability of Impact: n/a  
Projected Impact Distance (Km): n/a  
Projected Coordinates: n/a

"Either it's operating properly, or it's not operating at all," observed Sari.

They watched it for about 10 cycles. The sensor was reporting nothing. The display board stayed the same.

"You sure you turned it on?" asked Bumblebee.

"If it wasn't on, the monitor display wouldn't report back every few nanoclicks that "all systems are nominal," said Sari. "Besides, I went in to the system before we began the test, to examine the circuits. I saw everything was working properly – you know, my mojo stuff."

"Oh, yeah – well there IS that." Bumblebee squirmed in his chair. "Man, this is boring!"

Sari smiled and rolled her optics. "Well, sure, it was a lot more exciting when the bad sensor told us there were asteroids in imminent striking distance every few nanokliks, eh?"

"Hey, you gotta admit, now THAT was fun!" he said.

Sari cocked her helmet and gave him an "Oh, really?" look. She put her servos on her hips.

Sari sputtered, "F-fun? What the…Bee, you were complaining more than any of us about what that sensor was making us do! Why…" She stopped ranting and looked at Bee's face.

Bee smiled and winked; he totally messed with her that time!

"Oh you!" Sari laughed and pushed at Bee. "You got me!"

Sari had an idea. "Hey, why don't we coordinate our test with the Ark-32?" Arcee can link up our unit to the AE-35; that way we can run a test in parallel."

"Good idea Sar!" he said. "Now, why didn't I think of that?"

"Maybe 'cause…I thought of it first?" she smiled.

"Yeah, yeah, smarty pants," chuckled Bee. "Let's give her a call."

Sari got on the Farside comm to Arcee. "Hey, Arcee, we're starting our tests of the new long-range sensor. Can we sync up what the Farside sensor is detecting with what the AE-35 is seeing?"

"Good idea, Sari," said Arcee. So they set up a parallel link between the two units, which allowed them to observe any discrepancies between the two. Bumblebee, Sari, and Arcee watched both feeds together.

"Looking pretty similar so far," observed Arcee.

"Yeah, pretty similar nothing," said Bumblebee.

"Uh oh, looks like I spoke too fast," he said, as both units began issuing a 'WARNING' signal.

"Jinx!" teased Sari.

The long-range sensor and the AE-35 detected a cluster of asteroids on a trajectory that would put them near earth's orbit. Performing its calculations, it projected the asteroids' strikes to land somewhere on the moon's far side.

"Aw no, here we go again," groaned Bumblebee.

Completing its calculations, the long-range sensor displayed: "Impact timeframe calculation: 29 hours, 18 minutes".

"Same here on the AE-35," said Arcee. "At least you've got more advanced warning this time!"

"Hey, cheer up, Bee," said Sari, "I'd call that a successful test!"

The station's new sensor was up and running, and began monitoring the movement of the asteroid cluster, making second-by-second calculations on its trajectory and projections on impact.

The display board was now reading:

**WARNING  
**Object Detected: Asteroid Cluster  
Number: 13  
Estimated Time of Impact: 29:17:38  
Probability of Impact: 0.15%  
Projected Impact Distance: (Km) 2750  
Projected Coordinates: (-19.4°, -92.8°)

"OK, so right now, it looks like we're safe," said Sari, "but as it gets closer, the projections will start to get more accurate, and that impact might get closer. We'd better go let Bulky know."

"What happens if it detects an imminent impact?"

"My Dad told me about that," she replied. "Once probability gets above 50%, and distance within 500 Km, the 'WARNING' on the display changes to a flashing 'ALERT'. It then sends out alarms in several ways: first, with lights and klaxons inside the station, then through auditory alerts to anyone outside the station. Autobots get an alert through their comm link, and humans through the intercoms in their space suits."

Sari and Bumblebee left the station and looked for Bulkhead. They found him at the space bridge. He was busy sending the scrap from the original tower back to earth. "Hey, big guy, good news and bad news," said Bumblebee. "The good news is, the new long-range sensor is installed and checks out; the bad news is, it's detecting some more asteroids headed this way."

"What, again!? Aaargh!" He threw down a piece of scrap. "Fraggin' slag-suckin' hexagonal nuts!"

"Hey, watch your language there, big guy!" said Bee. "There's a fembot present!" Sari giggled.

"Don't worry, Bulky, we've got some time. The sensor estimates it'll be about 11 mega-cycles before it gets here," she said.

"Oh, OK," he said, "sorry about the swear words. I'm still disappointed about takin' down the Bulkymids."

"No prob," she said, "I've heard worse things from Porter C. Powell," she winked. "Right now the sensor's saying they won't hit near us, but we'll be alerted if things get closer."

Just then a comm message came in from Optimus. "I'd like the Three Amigos to come into the Ark-32 conference room for a meeting." The three looked at each other and chuckled. "I guess that's our nickname from now on," said Bumblebee. "I like it!" said Bulkhead.

The three headed over, and sat down in the conference room with the rest of the Ark-32 crew. Ratchet began. "I got a report back from Dataminer," he said. "He examined everything I had sent him regarding the effect Sari's orb has on an object when she forms it in the palm of her servo and throws it, as opposed to blasting it out. Here is his report:

'_Dear Ratchet: after examining the data you sent me, I surmised that whenever Sari throws her orb at an object, it somehow generates, at the atomic level, a gravitational collapse of whatever it comes in contact with. That effect is the white flash you see. You are quite correct in theorizing that Sari's orb in some manner, shape or form generates a black hole with an extremely localized event horizon – although exactly how is quite beyond this old processor's understanding.'_

'_I decided to share your data, and my musings, with Perceptor. He theorized that when the matter falls into the localized event horizon, it becomes isolated from the rest of space and time, and has, effectively, disappeared from the universe that we exist in. At any rate, Perceptor wants Jazz, Optimus and Sari to test out her weapon's tactical capabilities. It may prove quite useful in battling Team Chaar, should that become necessary.'_

'_As a final note, Perceptor told me to pass on to Sari a request: that she report to the Ministry of Science at her next visit to Cybertron, for further study of this new capability.'_

'_My best to the Autobots and to my favorite Technorganic, signed, Dataminer'_

"That's the end of his communication," said Ratchet. "So it seems whatever Sari throws her orb at, just up and disappears."

"If we can harness this ability of Sari's," said Jazz, "then it can be a powerful weapon to use against the Decepticons."

"We'll check out its tactical capabilities after the meeting," said Optimus. Jazz and Sari nodded.

Arcee was up next. "Team Chaar remain at least two orbital cycles away. I've been monitoring their transmissions, but up to now it's been filled with idle chatter with other Decepticons. Nothing encrypted, otherwise Sari would have picked it up." Sari nodded. "They're either running silent, keeping their intentions deliberately unknown, or they have no particular intentions. At this point, it's a matter of watch and wait. Right now, all we can say for sure is they are stationed on Ganymede."

"Who is aboard the ship?" asked Optimus.

"Their usual crew: Strika, Oil Slick, Blot, Mindwipe, Sky-Byte, and Scalpel."

"Hey, Sari, if you get a chance, throw an orb at Scalpel!" said Ratchet. Everyone laughed.

"Alright," said Optimus, "what's the status of the long-range scanner?"

"It's up and operational," said Sari. Right now, it's monitoring an asteroid cluster headed this way. Current status shows the cluster is about 10 mega-cycles distant."

"So, you've got a little more time to prepare than before," Optimus smiled. "Good to hear it's up and running. "Your father should have the spare unit ready for shipment in another solar-cycle or two. Once it's here, I think it would be safe for the Ark-32 to return to earth."

"How goes the rest of Farside Beacon One construction?"

"Exterior shielding is completed, and seal inspections are all done," said Bulkhead. "Sumdac Systems wants the old tower parts back for recycling, so I'm sending it back on the space bridge."

"I'm about halfway through with interior pressurization testing on the first section, and it should be ready for Sari to begin the life support systems wiring," said Bumblebee.

"And Bumblebee and I will have our work on the interior structures coordinated to meet the project schedule. The human quarters should be ready for habitation on time," said Sari.

"Excellent job! You three are making great progress."

Optimus ended the meeting, and he, Jazz, and Sari went outside to test the new strategic capabilities of her orb mod.

They went to a remote region of the lunar surface, and found an area scattered throughout with large rocks of various shapes and sizes. "OK Sari," said Jazz, "let's see how quickly you can form an orb, and throw it at a rock."

Sari held her palm up, and she managed to form an orb within seconds. She then threw it at a large rock, which disappeared in a white flash.

"Great Cybertron!" said Optimus.

"Good, Sari, good," said Jazz. "Let's try it faster this time." And like she did with her Cyber-Ninja training, Jazz had Sari run drills, each time forming the orb a little faster, each time throwing the orb more quickly, with greater accuracy: Jazz would mark a spot on a rock and tell her to hit it precisely.

"All right, Sari, can you do it while running? Try running toward that rock in the distance, form the orb while running, and throw it like before," said Jazz.

This she did, first running, but then, instead of holding her palm up, she decided to form the orb in a new way. Executing a graceful smooth sweep, she reached her servo forward like a swimmer, palm down as she formed the orb. Continuing the arm movement down as she ran, she moved her wrist around keeping the orb in her palm, around, over, finally throwing it at the rock while still running. Same results as before: contact, white flash, rock disappears.

"Excellent job! Good improvisation with your servo and palm! Let's do it again."

And so, the training went, rep after rep. Before long, the "garden" of lunar rocks was gone, and Sari's training was over.

"I'd say this was a good preparation for Team Chaar," said Jazz. "How do you feel, Sari?"

"I feel good, Sensei, thank you for your training and your guidance," she replied, and bowed to Jazz.

"Excellent job, you two," said Optimus. "Thank you for letting me be an observer."

Jazz and Optimus excused themselves to return to the Ark-32, and Sari returned to Farside Beacon One.

"Sar! How's it goin' girl!"

"Doing good, Bee! Just finished some hard training with Jazz. I think we're gonna kick some butt with Team Chaar!"

"You know it! We'll put some nasty moves on those Deceptislimes!"

"Absolutely, Bee! Say, how's that sensor doing?"

They went in to the control station to look at the display:

**WARNING  
**Object Detected: Asteroid Cluster  
Number: 13  
Estimated Time of Impact: 23:12:15  
Probability of Impact: 12.25%  
Projected Impact Distance: (Km) 1000  
Projected Coordinates: (27.3°, 147.9°)

"Uh oh, impact's looking a wee bit closer," said Sari.

"Oh, man! Here we go again!" sighed Bee.

"Hey, it's still got about 9 mega-cycles to go. Who knows, maybe it'll miss us," said Sari.

"Yeah, and maybe you'll get that lottery mod," said Bee, winking.

**Jazz has given Sari some good training on how to use her orb mod; this will no doubt be put to good use if and when Team Chaar shows up! And once the spare long-range sensor arrives the Ark-32 will return to earth, so the Three Amigos will be on their own again. Thanks for reading.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Takes place two months after the Ark-32 had returned to Earth. The Autobots continue to monitor Team Chaar, who for some reason, remain squatting on Ganymede.**

**Farside Beacon One is operational!**** The Three Amigos are waiting for the beginning of one of the last status meetings.**

Sari, Bumblebee and Bulkhead are sitting in the Farside Beacon One conference room, waiting for the start of the weekly status meeting.

"Hey, you guys ready for all the people who will soon be coming here?" Bumblebee asked.

"Yeah, in about a deca-cycle, we'll be sharing this base with humans and other bots," said Sari. "It's sure going to be different around here!"

"I know," said Bulkhead. "What's more, once they're here and this base is up and running, we three will probably be going our separate ways, ya know? I mean, what's gonna become of The Three Amigos?"

"Hey, there'll always be The Three Amigos, no matter where we go!" said Bumblebee.

"Well, I'm definitely going back to Earth," said Sari. "I will be continuing my Cyber-Ninja training with Jazz. Where will you guys be going?"

"I haven't heard yet," said Bumblebee.

"Me neither," said Bulkhead. "Maybe we'll find out today."

"Farside Beacon One, this is Sumdac Tower," came Isaac's voice. The video screen lit up, and his and Optimus' image appeared.

"Farside Beacon One here," said Bumblebee. Good to see you again!"

"Same here, Bumblebee. How are the Three Amigos doing?" said Optimus.

"Doing well sir!" said Sari. We are just about done with our work here. By the way, notice anything different?"

"Well, I'll be!" Said Optimus. "Sari, I see you are in 'human' mode!"

"Well, hello there, my Sari!" said Isaac. "Nice to see your human face! I thought I noticed something different!"

"Yep! Bumblebee and I just completed our testing of the living quarters. I spent all day around here in 'human' mode. Did not experience any problems."

"Yeah, it was weird at first, seeing Sari back in 'human', walking around here," said Bumblebee. Bulkhead and I weren't used to it, were we?" he smiled.

"Uh uh!" Said Bulkhead. "I kept doin' double-takes," he laughed.

"All part of the test," she smiled. "At any rate, everything checked out. Looking forward to having the human crew come up."

"Have you been able to do the emergency evacuation test?" said Isaac.

"Yes," she said. "We did that as one of the very first things."

"And it went well, I hope – I mean, I assume?"

"Very well, Dad – it was exciting! Bumblebee shadowed me with a backup oxygen tank, and just as with the overall test, I ran it entirely in 'human' mode – no cheating! We simulated a hull breach, the air escaped the chamber, and I made it safely to the emergency space suit and out to the lunar surface. All systems functioned perfectly."

"Well, I am certainly glad to hear that, my dear!" Isaac replied, smiling, although a bit nervously.

"First status item to pass along," said Optimus. "As you know, Arcee has been monitoring the Decepticon ship since they landed on Ganymede. We've been puzzled as to why they are not making any moves. Arcee then had an idea; she studied the orbits of Jupiter and Earth, and theorized that perhaps they are waiting for both planets to move away from aphelion."

"A-who-leon?" asked Bumblebee.

"It's the point where planets are furthest from the sun," explained Optimus. "When they first landed on Ganymede, both Earth and Jupiter were beginning to move away from aphelion, and were at opposite sides of the sun. That would put their distance from each other close to 6.2 AU. Strika may prefer to launch an attack after Earth has had a chance to come around closer to Jupiter."

"And we're getting closer?" asked Sari.

"Every day," said Isaac. "Earth orbits the sun over 10 times faster than Jupiter. We are pulling around, and will eventually come within 4.2 AU."

"So, we remain on watch and wait," said Optimus. "And don't forget, as we monitor them, they monitor us. It's entirely possible that they may be timing their attack to coincide with our plan to open Farside Beacon One. That's the theory that Arcee is working from."

"On a happier note, the human crew have completed their training here on Earth, and will be arriving in 10 days," said Isaac. "They will be coming in via the space bridge. Also, there are some new Autobots arriving from Cybertron who have been assigned to work alongside the human crew on Farside Beacon One. For that, I will turn the meeting over to Optimus."

The Three Amigos listened in earnest. New Autobots?

"We have two new bots, recent graduates from Autobot Boot Camp," said Optimus.

"New graduates, eh?" said Bumblebee. "Young ones?"

"You could say that, Bumblebee. In fact, you should become very familiar with them, since I have recommended you to to be their leader."

Bumblebee about fell out of his chair! "Say what? Did you say...their leader…me?"

"Congratulations, Bumblebee! If you accept, I am offering you the opportunity to be in charge of the young bots who will be working on Farside Beacon One."

Sari and Bulkhead looked at their friend with awe and gave a hearty whoop! "Way to go, Bee!" Said Sari. "Good goin', little buddy!" said Bulkhead.

"Wow! Optimus, thanks! Sure I accept!" Said Bee. "What are their names again?"

"Well, I haven't told you yet, but here they are: "

"Your first bot is 'Sandstorm'. He was first in his class in survival techniques, which should be very useful to you for working on the moon. He wants eventually to go on to the Autobot Academy and hopes to work his way up to become a member of the Cybertron Elite Guard."

"Your second bot is 'Firestar'. She plans to eventually go on to the Protihex Medical Mechanics University and study to become a medic, specializing in rescue missions. Again, I think that meshes very well with this assignment. She has heard a great deal about Ratchet, and now that she's coming to Earth's moon, I am told she is looking forward to getting a chance to see him in person."

"Sounds great!" said Bee, "Looking forward to meeting them. When will they be here?"

"They are arriving before the human crew. The message from Cybertron indicated you should be hearing about their teleport in two solar cycles, so you should begin making preparations."

"Bulkhead, after the human crew has arrived and Farside Beacon One is fully operational, you'll be returning to Earth with Sari," said Optimus. "We'll be needing your help down here."

"Sounds good, boss-bot," he replied.

"Well, that wraps up our status meeting for now," said Optimus. "Glad things are ready up there - keep up the good work, and expect the arrival of your new Autobots! Sumdac Tower out."

"Farside Beacon One out," said Bumblebee, and shut down the video conference system.

"Well, well, well," said Sari, "should we call you 'Sir' now?" she teased.

"Hey, works for me," he said. "Feel free! 'SIR Bumblebee' - now I can get used to that!"

"Haw! You think I'll call you that? That'll be the day!" laughed Bulkhead.

"Do you guys know these bots?" asked Sari.

"No, they must be real young," said Bumblebee, "especially if they're fresh out of boot camp."

"I think it's neat that one of them wants to follow in Ratchet's line of work. I'll have to let him know when I get back to Earth," said Sari. "Just think, he's got an admirer!"

"Aw, I think it's kinda cute!" said Bulkhead.

"Well, we'd better give this whole place a final once-over," said Sari. "I don't want them finding out we missed something - that would be way too embarrassing, especially for Sir Bumblebee!"

So Sari switched back to "bot" mode and The Three Amigos spent the next two solar cycles going over the entire station with a fine tooth comb, checking and re-checking everything. Finally, they got a communication from Cybertron. "Incoming message for Farside Beacon One: please ready your space bridge for the arrival of Autobots Sandstorm and Firestar."

"This is it, Bee!" said Sari, "Your first command! You nervous?"

"Nervous, nervous?" He laughed nervously. "Who me? Nervous? No, why me nervous?" He said.

And with that, they headed over to the space bridge. Bulkhead powered it up. Sari stood next to Bulkhead, so that Bumblebee would be the first bot they saw when they arrived.

The giant blue orb formed between the twin tines of the space bridge, and two bots jumped out. Sandstorm was an orange and tan Autobot; Firestar was red and grey.

"Welcome to Farside Beacon One!" said Bumblebee.

Sandstorm saluted. "Sir! Autobot Sandstorm reporting for duty!"

Firestar saluted. "Sir! Autobot Firestar reporting for duty!"

Bumblebee at first hesitated, then remembered he had to return their salute so they could put their servos down. They remained silent, standing at attention. He had to say "At ease!" And they changed to parade rest.

Sari watched all this with tremendous amusement. "This ought to be interesting," she thought.

Bumblebee tried to calm them down "OK, OK I know you two are fresh out of Autobot Boot Camp, but trust me, you can relax a little bit."

While this was going on, Bulkhead broke the ice. "Uh, Bumblebee, can you introduce us?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry!" He turned to Sari and Bulkhead. "Sandstorm, Firestar, let me introduce to you the other bots working here. This is Sari and Bulkhead."

Sari came forward. "Hi, I'm Sari. Pleased to meet you both," she said. "Welcome to Farside Beacon One."

Bulkhead came up. "And I'm Bulkhead. Good to meet you two."

"Hello ma'am, hello sir" said Sandstorm. "Very pleased to meet you! Glad to be here."

"Hi!" said Firestar. She looked up to Bulkhead – he was that much taller – and held up a servo. "Nice to meet you Bulkhead." She turned to Sari to shake her servo. "Sari, are you the Technorganic? I heard about the ceremony re-opening Master Yoketron's Dojo. You and Jazz helped Dai Atlas rebuild it."

"Yes, that is correct," smiled Sari.

"You also know Ratchet?" she asked.

"Yes, we are friends."

"I hope to meet him! I want to pursue the same career as his."

"I will be sure to let him know, Firestar," Sari replied. "Once the human crew has arrived and the station is fully opened, I'll be returning to Earth. I'll see him then."

"Oh, that would be great, thanks!"

Meanwhile, Sandstorm had engaged in some small talk with Bulkhead. "Excellent site for a space bridge! Who built it?"

"That would be me!" smiled Bulkhead.

"Wow! Great job, sir!" Sandstorm looked over all the controls. "I tried my servo at space bridge technology before I joined boot camp, but I just couldn't wrap my processor around it. I really admire space bridge technicians."

"Hey, it's all in what you're good at," Bulkhead replied. "I heard you scored really well on survival techniques. That'll come in handy here."

"Oh, thank you, sir! I'm really looking forward to this assignment!"

"You're welcome! And you can skip the 'sir', I'm just old 'Bulkhead'. I went through Autobot Boot Camp myself!"

"Well, let me show you two around the station," said Bumblebee. "Follow me."

"Yes, sir!" they both said. And they followed behind Bumblebee as he gave them a tour.

"Well, Bulky, what do you think?" asked Sari.

"Firestar seems nice," he replied. "And that Sandstorm guy, he likes space bridges!"

"Hey cool! Well, let's get back inside," she said.

Later the next day, Sari was inspecting one of the communication consoles. Sandstorm and Firestar came in. "Excuse me, Sari ma'am?" said Sandstorm. "We were talking with Bumblebee, and he suggested that we come talk to you about something."

"Sure! Said Sari, pulling her chair away from the console, "what's up?"

"Well," began Firestar a little nervously, "you see ma'am, we've never had experience working with organics, and before they get here, we just wondered if we could ask you some questions."

Sari smiled. "Hey, no problem! Ask away!"

"Well," said Firestar, she and Sandstorm looked at one another, then they looked back at Sari. "During Autobot Boot Camp, we had a lecture about organics given to us by Sentinel Prime, and…"

Sari slapped a servo to her faceplate, "Oh, no."

"What did he say to you?" she asked.

"He said, for example, that you should never, ever touch an organic," said Sandstorm. "That if an Autobot came in contact with an organic, there was a 95% chance it could cause your circuits to fail!"

"Also," said Firestar, "there was something called a 'cold' that organics get, and when they have this, they go about expelling things out of their orifices onto bots! These materials are extremely dangerous, and can melt your armor."

"Bumblebee said these things weren't true," said Sandstorm, "but he wanted us to talk to you about it."

Sari was tempted to say some very nasty things about Sentinel Prime, but her diplomat mod kicked in. "OK, to begin with, you have to realize," she said, "that Sentinel Prime had some very, VERY bad experiences with organics. He lost a very good Autobot soldier to some evil organics on a distant planet, and it has influenced his outlook on them."

"That being said, while it may be true for some organics on other planets, it is certainly NOT true for the organics you are about to meet. You two know that I am a Technorganic, correct?"

"Yes," they both said.

"I am half Autobot, half human, which is one of the kinds of organics that inhabits the planet below." A flash of blue, and she changed into 'human' mode for them. "Look, this is the type of organic you will come in contact with." Firestar and Sandstorm looked at the human Sari in awe.

"I have worked with Bumblebee and Bulkhead for several stellar cycles. You have nothing to fear."

"But, what about when you get a cold and something comes out of your orifice?" asked Sandstorm.

Sari laughed. "It's called a 'sneeze'," she said, and it comes out of our noses." She pointed to her nose. "We usually try to cover it with a piece of cloth, so as not to get it on anyone. To sneeze is not dangerous to an Autobot, but to sneeze on another human could get them infected. Besides, to not cover a sneeze is gross!"

"Another thing a human might do when they have a cold is called a 'cough'. Same kind of thing, but it comes out of our mouth," she said, and pointed to her mouth. "Again, won't hurt you, but may affect other humans. Just like with sneezes, we try to cover it."

Sandstorm reached out a servo towards Sari. "Go ahead, touch me! I won't hurt you, I promise!" and Sari reached out her arm to meet Sandstorm's servo. He touched Sari's arm.

"You too, Firestar! Come on," she smiled. Firestar reached out and touched her arm. "There, see? Nothing to worry about!"

Firestar pinched Sari's arm a little too tight. "Ow! Careful now!" Said Sari. "Humans are kinda squishy."

"Sorry! Oh I'm so sorry!" said Firestar, and pulled her servo back quickly. "Did I break you? Please tell me I didn't break you!"

"No, don't worry, you didn't," she laughed, "but Technorganics are a lot tougher than full humans, so be a little more careful with them, OK?" Firestar nodded.

"Any other questions I can help you with?" Sari asked.

"I'm so afraid I'll step on one!" said Sandstorm.

"Well, you just have to be careful," said Sari. "I'm roughly the height of a human, so you can get used to it by being around me. And don't worry about stepping on me! Since I'm a Technorganic, I have full Autobot strength, agility, and speed even in 'human' mode so I can jump out of your way easily! But full humans won't be as agile as me, so get your practice in now!"

Bulkhead walked in. "Hey, how you guys doin'?"

"Hey, Bulky! We were just talking about working side-by-side with humans," said Sari. "I'd say humans get along with Autobots pretty well, wouldn't you say?"

"Oh yeah! Humans and bots get along great! Well, except for maybe Captain Fanzone."

"Well, there is him," said Sari, "but I don't think you'll be meeting him," she smiled. "He's always saying, [in a Fanzone voice] 'This is why I hate machines'". Sari and Bulkhead laughed.

"Captain Fanzone?" asked Sandstorm.

"He's a policeman on Earth," explained Sari. "If you get down there, you might meet him. He's OK with bots, he's just grumpy."

"Anyway, any other questions I can help you with?" asked Sari.

"No, that's about it," said Firestar. "Thank you so much Sari! This has been very helpful."

"Yes, thank you Sari!" said Sandstorm. And they headed back to work with Bumblebee.

"What was that all about?" asked Bulkhead.

"Oh, just helping them unlearn some bad info that Sentinel Prime fed them about organics," said Sari.

**So The Three Amigos are done with their work on Farside Beacon One, Bumblebee has been put in command of two newly-minted bots from boot camp, and the human crew will be arriving in a week or so. As expected, Sentinel Prime's been spewing lousy information about organics; thank goodness Sari's set these two bots straight! Thanks for reading.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Bumblebee and his crew settle in, and begin the day-to-day activities of Farside Beacon One. Sari and Bulkhead find they have some free time.**

"Hey, Sari! What'cha doin' way out here?" asked Bulkhead, walking towards her. He had come out onto the lunar surface to walk around the landing field, and saw her in the distance, lying down on a big flat rock. Her legs crossed, digits intertwined behind her helmet, she was staring out into space.

She turned her helmet towards him. "Oh, hey Bulky. Just looking out at the galaxy. It's so beautiful, with no atmosphere. I could lie here for megacycles."

"You could? Let me try." He plopped down nearby on the lunar surface, and the ground shook for a second.

"You made my rock bounce," she laughed.

Bulkhead looked up at the sky, but after a few cycles, he wasn't sure whether he was having the same feelings that Sari was experiencing. "Uh Sari, am I doin' it right?" he asked.

"Well, when I was a little girl, I used to look up at the night sky, but in Detroit, the stars were hard to see through all the city lights. Here, they just POP out at you!" She said, waving her servos out to the wide open sky, digits wiggling.

"Uh huh," he replied.

"It's really awesome," she sighed, putting her arms down. "I'm gonna miss it."

"Well, y'know, I guess after working out in space for millions of stellar cycles, ya kinda get used to it."

"I understand," said Sari. "Jazz explained to me once that humans have something that bots don't. He called it a 'wonder' mod. I don't know why, but even though it's a human thing, I still keep it when I'm in 'bot' mode." She thought for a minute. "Maybe it's my 'wonder' mod bouncing around in my processor."

"Maybe," said Bulkhead.

Sari sat up. "Anyway, how's your orientation going with the new bots?"

"Oh those guys are doin' great!" he said, sitting up. "They catch on fast! How about you?"

"Same here. I think they'll be just fine. And I think Bee will be a great leader."

"Oh yeah! I'm proud of my little buddy!"

"They're taking over the running of the station, leaving us with lots of free time," said Sari. "At least until the human crew gets here. Then once they're in charge, it'll be time for you and me to head on back to Earth."

"Yup. Hey! I can get back to my painting! And sculpture!"

"Yeah! Looking forward to that, Bulky!" she smiled. "I like watching you do your artwork."

"Well, I guess we've got our last status meeting coming up. Might as well head on in," she said, and jumped off the rock.

"Right behind you!" said Bulkhead, and the two walked back to the station.

"Farside Beacon One, this is Sumdac Tower," Isaac's voice started the video conference session.

"Farside Beacon One here," said Bumblebee. "Hello there, Sumdac Tower. I'd like to begin our meeting with some introductions. Professor Sumdac, Optimus Prime, let me introduce our new bots: this is Sandstorm and Firestar."

"Pleased to meet you two," said Optimus. "Glad to have you on board."

"Hello there, Sandstorm and Firestar! Nice to see some new faces on Farside Beacon One," said Isaac.

"Hello, sirs!" said Sandstorm. "Hi!" waved Firestar.

"Well, we've given our new bots a full orientation on the base's operation and maintenance, and they have assumed responsibility for their systems. I think we are ready for the arrival of the Earth crew," said Bumblebee.

"And they are eager to get up there," said Isaac. "The leader comes from a family that should be familiar to The Three Amigos, although I am told this one doesn't share his uncle's disdain for machines," Isaac smiled.

Sari, Bulkhead and Bumblebee looked at each other. "You don't mean…" they thought.

"Air Force Lieutenant Samuel Fanzone will be leading a crew of three," said Isaac.

"No way!" said Sari. "I didn't even know Fanzone had a nephew."

"Indeed, Sari," said Isaac. "Samuel grew up in Florida, which is probably why you never heard of him. He's very fond of his uncle Carmine, but never quite understood his disdain for machines. As a child, he was always tinkering with them and building things. He has his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering and a dual master's in mechanical and electrical engineering, so I think you can see where his passion lies."

"All candidates for this job had to go through an extensive series of tests and interviews. During this process, he impressed us with his enthusiasm for the mission and a chance to work with the Autobots. I think you will find him to be a good match."

"After we chose Lieutenant Fanzone, he worked with us in selecting his crew. They are all Airmen specially trained for this mission."

"Airmen?" asked Firestar.

"Enlisted members of the Air Force," explained Sari.

"Leading the three is Staff Sergeant Justin Pond, followed by Senior Airmen Devon Burdick and Joseph Tucker. Oh, by the way Sari: Airman Burdick is from Detroit."

"Hey! I like him already!" she smiled.

"They have been training on a mockup of Farside Beacon One down here on Earth, but obviously a mockup can only take their training so far," said Isaac. They'll be looking to you, Sari, to help them get oriented."

"Got it. Glad to help them any way I can," she said.

"I will leave it up to you and Lieutenant Fanzone to determine how much time you and the crew will need to complete their orientation," said Isaac.

"Now, on to other items," said Optimus. "We've received word from Cybertron that Steelhaven will be arriving on the moon to protect Farside Beacon One."

"Ah. Steelhaven. Sentinel Prime?" asked Bumblebee.

"Yes," answered Optimus. "Also on board are Warpath, Jetfire and Jetstorm. They are due to arrive in five solar cycles."

"Will the Ark-32 be coming up here as well?" he asked.

"No. It was decided that since Steelhaven would be on the moon, it would be better if the Ark-32 remained on Earth, since we still don't know Strika's plans. If she heads for the moon, then we will come up there. If she comes to Earth, then Steelhaven will come down here."

"Rest assured, Arcee is keeping a close watch on their ship," said Optimus. "And your long-range sensor will pick up their movement the moment they take off from Ganymede."

"In the meantime, your Earth crew is arriving in two solar cycles, so they'll be the first thing on your busy plate," said Optimus. "Is the space bridge landing platform ready for a human arrival?"

"Yes, I've got the risers ready," said Bulkhead. "When they come out of the orb, they'll have only a few feet to land."

"Don't forget to calculate for the sudden change in gravity from the time they leave Earth," said Isaac. "You may need to make it a little lower."

"Oh, good point Professor," replied Bulkhead. "Thanks!"

"Well, that's all we have for now," said Optimus. "Good job, everyone! Sumdac Tower out."

"Farside Beacon One out." Said Bumblebee.

"Well guys, we're about to get a little more crowded here," said Bumblebee, "you ready?"

"Ready and exited, sir!" said Fireside.

"We'll give them a good 'bot' welcome, sir!" said Sandstorm.

"So Sar, I guess you'll be the busiest one of all," said Bulkhead. "Of course, you can always count on our help."

"Of course!" said Bumblebee, "We're all working together, right guys?"

"Absolutely, sir!" said Sandstorm. "Just tell us what we need to do, Sari." Firestar nodded.

"Thanks, guys! I still can't believe we're getting Captain Fanzone's nephew!" she said. "I mean, what were the odds?"

"And then, three solar cycles after they arrive, Sentinel Prime gets here," said Bulkhead. "Oh boy!" He said, rolling his optics.

"Hey, we'll be fine, big guy," said Bumblebee, trying his best to assume a "leader" role, even though inside he was groaning!

"If Team Chaar does land here, we can really use their firepower," said Sari. It was a lot easier for Sari, with her diplomacy mod, to speak the language of restraint. She began thinking of ways she can help "smooth" things out between the station's operations and Sentinel Prime's "unique" way of wanting to do things. "I might want to talk to Optimus," she thought. "Perhaps I ought to stay a little longer."

Bumblebee and Bulkhead spent the remaining days before the crew's arrival drilling Sandstorm and Fireside on the base's defensive weaponry. Sari made sure the living quarters were ready, and the cafeteria's chef bot was ready for Lieutenant Fanzone and his crew.

On the day of their arrival, Bumblebee and his crew stood by the space bridge with Sari, while Bulkhead botted the controls. The landing platform was adjusted appropriately, and as the blue orb formed, the Earth crew jumped out and landed. "Welcome to Farside Beacon One!" said Bumblebee.

"Thank you, Bumblebee! Great to be here!" said Lieutenant Fanzone, and introductions proceeded all around. Everyone went inside the station, and Fanzone and his crew got out of their space suits and stowed them away. Sari transformed into "human" mode and took them to their living quarters. "We're on Earth's Eastern time zone here, so your schedules will synchronize with ours. Go ahead and get yourselves settled in. The cafeteria is down the hallway and to the right. I'll meet you there at 1200 hours."

"Thanks, Sari," said Fanzone.

Sumdac Systems had an automated food preparation system for the human crew in Farside Beacon One's cafeteria, although it would be Lieutenant Fanzone's responsibility to work with the chef bot to choose the variety of available menus. After she had gone into mostly human mode, Sari had chosen healthful meals – well, somewhat – for herself, but before the human crew arrived, she allowed the chef bot to design something more...nutritious.

Sitting in the cafeteria, the crew enjoyed their first lunar lunch. "Delicious meal, Sari!" said Sgt. Pond. "It's all done by the bot here in the cafeteria?"

"Yes," said Sari. Sumdac Systems designed the chef bot to prepare all the meals for us. You can always retrieve the upcoming week's menu on your workstations."

"One thing the simulation on Earth tried to prepare us for was the difference in gravity," said Airman Tucker," but it'll still take a little getting used to."

"Yes, and then when you return to Earth, get ready! You'll feel like a ton!" said Sari, smiling.

"That space bridge is an incredible experience," said Airman Burdick. "One second you're on Earth jumping into the orb, then in a flash you're landing on the space bridge up here."

"And Bulkhead just happens to be Cybertron's number one space bridge technician," said Sari. "We're lucky to have him."

After lunch, Sari took them around the stations' interior. "Just like the mock-up on Earth," observed Fanzone, "of course, down there we didn't need to work on our 'sea legs'," he chuckled, as he and the crew kept bouncing around. "It'll come in time," Sari smiled.

They entered the main control room, with its primary console and the overhead monitor. It displayed Farside Beacon One's current status:

**ALL SYSTEMS NOMINAL  
**Object(s) Detected: None  
Number: n/a  
Estimated Time of Impact: n/a  
Probability of Impact: n/a  
Projected Impact Distance (Km): n/a  
Projected Coordinates: n/a

"We've had a few incidents since the Station became active," Sari explained, and told them about the rogue asteroids. "When anything threatens our station, we coordinate our defensive systems with the Autobots. They bot the Cybertronian weaponry and we are their long-range eyes and ears."

"We'll have a status meeting in the conference room at 1600 hours with Bumblebee and his team to discuss how the coordination works."

"Now, let's get into our space suits, and I can show you the exterior." Sari and Fanzone's crew donned their suits and stepped outside.

"Hey Sari, I was just wondering," said Airman Burdick, "since you're a Technorganic, why do you need to put on a space suit? You didn't have one on when you first greeted us."

"Good question," she said. "I decided to remain in 'human' mode for the duration of our orientation. In fact, when I was testing the station for human habitation, I did everything this way, even the emergency evacuation – although Bumblebee did follow me around with an oxygen tank."

"However, for the first two months, before the station had breathable air, I was constantly in 'bot' mode."

Sari took them around and showed them the tower, the landing strip, the power station, and the garage where the lunar rover is stored. On the way back to the station entrance, they passed by the space bridge.

"That's all there is to the externals," she said. "Any questions?"

"The sky certainly is beautiful up here," said Fanzone.

"Without a doubt," replied Sari. "It's something I'll definitely miss."

At 1600 hours, everyone sat in the station conference room for their very first status meeting. "I want to thank you all for your warm welcome," said Lieutenant Fanzone. "Sari gave us a great orientation, and we look forward to working with Bumblebee, Sandstorm, and Firestar." Airmen Burdick and Tucker nodded in agreement.

"Same here, Lieutenant," said Bumblebee. "It'll be great to have Farside Beacon One fully Operational."

"And Bulkhead, I understand you assembled the exterior structures and the space bridge," he continued. "Thank you for a job well done!"

"You are most welcome," smiled Bulkhead.

"Now as Optimus probably mentioned," said Bumblebee, "we've been watching a Decepticon ship on Ganymede for some time now. The crew of that ship, calling themselves 'Team Chaar', are some nasty bots, and as a result, we're expecting the flagship of the Autobot fleet, codename Steelhaven, in three days. The captain is Sentinel Prime, with a crew of three, Warpath, Jetfire and Jetstorm. They will land right here on our strip, and hopefully, be a deterrent."

"I assume we will want to start drilling on our defensive maneuvers, then," said Fanzone."

"Exactly," said Bumblebee. "We'll begin tomorrow at 0800."

Sandstorm and Firestar had to do some computations in their processors. These human terms were still new to them; terms like "tomorrow" and "0800".

**So next day, Farside Beacon One's full crew will begin drilling. They will want to have their defensive coordination maneuvers down well, because it will be put to the test soon! Thanks for reading.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sari contacts Optimus about staying on Farside Beacon One and helping Bumblebee & Fanzone, now that Sentinel Prime is coming.**

Bumblebee and Fanzone have begun drilling their crews on Farside Beacon One's defensive maneuvers. Sari meanwhile, gets in contact with Optimus. "Hello, Sari, what's up?"

"I just had an idea, sir," she said. "With Sentinel Prime's arrival, perhaps I could be of assistance to Bumblebee and Lieutenant Fanzone. I could put my diplomat mod to use as a liaison between the Autobots – that is in reality, Sentinel Prime, and everyone else."

"Act as a go-between, smoothing things between Sentinel and everyone on Farside Beacon One," said Optimus. "I think that's a good idea, Sari – it may help to keep things running well while Steelhaven is up there. How do you feel about remaining on the moon? You were due to return to earth."

"I'm willing to stay as long as would be deemed necessary," she replied. "And if the battle begins here, I'll be immediately available to help."

"Just remember Sari, if Team Chaar does land on the moon, Sentinel Prime would be your Field Commander." said Optimus. "You would have to take orders from him."

"Understood," she said.

"Very well. I will put in a call to the Autobot High Council and see if they would be willing to have you appointed to some type of accredited capacity, say, as Autobot/Human Liaison. Sentinel Prime is a stickler for protocol; he'll be more receptive to your position if it's deemed official."

* * *

While en route to the moon, Steelhaven received a transmission from Cliffjumper. "Sentinel Prime, I have the list of Farside Beacon One commanding officers: the Autobot officer is Bumblebee, and the Human officer is Lieutenant Fanzone.

"Human officer? What are humans doing on the station?"

"Farside Beacon One is a cooperative effort between Cybertron and Earth," explained Cliffjumper. It is controlled equally by both worlds. While there, you will be expected to work with both officers. As such, the Autobot High Council has appointed an Autobot/Human Liaison to assist you."

"Ha! A liaison," he laughed. "Well, good, I'll let him deal with the humans. Who's the poor bot that got stuck with THAT assignment?"

"The liaison is Sari Sumdac."

"Sumdac? The Technorganic?"

"The very same."

"Wonderful," he groaned. "Any other good news?"

Yes. Perceptor has some information to pass along to you about the Technorganic's abilities. The number of her mods is increasing at an exponential rate of growth, and…"

"Yes, yes, I'm sure that's all very interesting," interrupted Sentinel. "Perceptor loves all that techno babble, but what I am looking for are bots I can use in combat."

"That's what I am trying to tell you, Sentinel Prime," said Cliffjumper. "Her recently acquired powers are extraordinary and would be very useful to you in battle. She has also learned an impressive number of Cyber-Ninja techniques from Jazz. We suggest you take the time to learn about all of this."

"We'll see," he responded. "Steelhaven out."

"Why don't you go reformat yourself with a lug wrench," grumbled Cliffjumper after the transmission ended.

* * *

Back on the moon, Bumblebee and Sari were talking about the Steelhaven's imminent arrival.

"So Sar, are you staying with us?" Bumblebee asked.

"Yes, Optimus thought it would be a good idea for me to be your liaison while Sentinel is here. He passed the recommendation along to the Autobot High Council to make it official; that ought to make my appearance at meetings a little more acceptable to you know who."

"Woo hoo! I really appreciate your help. So what's your big title?"

"I have been designated Farside Beacon One's 'Autobot/Human Liaison'," she smiled.

"Whoa! Sounds impressive! A new addition to your resume – you can put it right after 'Blue Orb Shrinky Thing Thrower'."

Sari laughed. "Funny, Bee." And then she grew serious. "But now Bulky's going back to Earth by himself."

"Yeah, gonna miss the big guy. Oh, and don't forget – we're meeting him at the space bridge in a megacycle."

"I know," she sighed. "Preparing my goodbye."

Later on, Bee botted the controls while Sari and the other bots, Fanzone and his crew stood by to bid farewell to Bulkhead.

"Goodbye, Bulkhead," said Fanzone. "On behalf of Earth, thank you for all your hard work."

"Thanks for helping us, Bulkhead, good luck back on Earth," said Sergeant Pond.

"We wish you well," said Airmen Burdick and Tucker.

"Farewell, Bulkhead," said Sandstorm. "Thanks for giving me all that training on the space bridge. Hope to learn more from you someday."

"Bye Bulkhead," said Firestar. "Hope to see you when I get a chance to visit Earth."

"Oh, Bulky," said Sari, "Thought I was going back with you, but I've got some more work to do here. Say hi to everyone for me, OK?"

"Ready when you are, big guy," said Bumblebee. "See you soon!"

"Bye everybody," said Bulkhead, waved, and jumped into the space bridge.

* * *

**Steelhaven has arrived!**

"Farside Beacon One, this is Steelhaven. Please to prepare for our landing," said Jetfire.

"We read you, Steelhaven," said Sergeant Pond. Welcome to Farside Beacon One. Landing site is ready for you."

After its landing, Sentinel Prime called for a meeting with the station's leadership. Bumblebee, Fanzone, and Sari boarded and entered his conference room.

"Thank you, Sentinel Prime, for coming to protect us against Team Chaar," said Bumblebee. "We appreciate Steelhaven's presence."

"We'll keep them away from your station," replied Sentinel. "Should they be foolish enough to land here, I think it would be best if you and your crew remain on Farside Beacon One and let us take care of them."

"I understand the protocol is for the Ark-32 to join you if it has been confirmed they are headed this way," said Bumblebee.

"The Ark-32? With Optimus? I doubt that would be necessary. He and his crew can remain on Earth." Said Sentinel.

Bumblebee looked to Sari for help. She gave him a glance that communicated to just let it go for now. "Hopefully there will be time to work this out with Optimus," she thought.

Suddenly, Sari's encryption-detection mods started glowing blue.

"Uh oh," said Bumblebee.

"Uh oh? What do you mean, uh oh?" said Sentinel.

"I'm picking up an encrypted transmission from the Team Chaar ship," she said.

All conversation stopped. Everyone looked at the glowing mods on her helmet.

"They're leaving Ganymede," she said, "and headed for the moon."

"Should we start preparing?" asked Fanzone.

"Now just a minute. Everybody hold on," said Sentinel. "I'm not going to do anything until I have confirmation." He got on his comm. "Jetfire! Did you pick up any Decepticon transmissions?"

"Transmission pickup, yes! Decepticon, surely!" said Jetfire.

"Well, what does it say?"

"Hold please." He said. "Am not making out. Is encryption, certainly. Sending to Cybertron to decrypt."

"Well let me know what you get back!" said Sentinel impatiently.

"I'll make a decision as soon as I hear back from Cybertron intelligence, but not before." Just then, an alarm began sounding in all of the Autobot's helmet comms and in Fanzone's space suit. "What in blazes is that annoying sound?" demanded Sentinel.

"The long-range scanner on Farside Beacon One has detected the Decepticon ship, and is announcing it to all outside the station," explained Bumblebee.

"Sentinel Prime, message return from Cybertron," said Jetfire.

"Well that was quick!" said Sentinel. "What does it say?"

"Message from Cliffjumper. Says: 'Technorganic should have already decrypted Decepticon transmission for you.'"

"Oh, fine!" Sentinel replied, looking annoyed. He turned to Sari. "Anything else in the transmission?"

"It was a message from General Strika to the planet Chaar," said Sari. "She plans to attack Farside Beacon One to destroy its long-range detection capabilities. That's all there was to the message."

"Alright, inform Optimus Prime of the transmission, and…"

"Pardon me for the interruption, Sentinel Prime," said Sari, "but my mod is automatically patched in to both Farside Beacon One's console and Arcee's on the Ark-32. They've already received the transmission."

"Well, why isn't Steelhaven being patched in?" demanded Sentinel.

"With your permission, sir, I will patch it in immediately."

"Do it now!"

"Yes sir," replied Sari, and got on her helmet comm. "Jetfire, please begin accepting my encryption transmissions on the following secure frequency," and sent the secure key.

"Acknowledged, Sari," said Jetfire. "Circuit completed."

"I think this ends our meeting," said Sentinel. "We will begin our preparations. Dismissed."

Bumblebee, Fanzone and Sari got up to leave the conference room. "Sari Sumdac, I want a word with you," said Sentinel.

"Yes sir," she replied, and remained behind.

"I have been told you have some combat skills," said Sentinel. "When the time comes, I want you with us to fight Team Chaar."

"Yes, sir," replied Sari. "I would be honored to fight by your side."

"Well, good," he said, his ego massaged. "That will be all for now. Dismissed."

"Thank you sir," she saluted, and left.

* * *

Sari joined Bumblebee and Fanzone in the Farside Beacon One conference room.

"Well, guys, that certainly was an – interesting meeting," said Fanzone.

"Welcome to working with Sentinel Prime," said Bumblebee.

"He's a good soldier," said Sari. He's just – a little rough to deal with. It's the reason Optimus asked me to stay here as your liaison."

"Thanks, Sari! I really appreciate your staying behind to help!" said Fanzone.

"Hey, no worries!" Sari smiled with her optics. "I've got a mod that helps me deal with just his type."

"An REMF mod?" Fanzone chuckled.

"Not sure what that means," she said, "but I call it my 'diplomat' mod."

"Close enough!" replied Fanzone, laughing.

The display board on Farside Beacon One was now reading:

**WARNING  
**Object(s) Detected: Decepticon Ship  
Number: 1  
Estimated Time of Arrival: 23:18:24  
Probability of Arrival: 75%  
Projected Arrival Distance (Km): 5 km  
Projected Coordinates: (19.3°S 122.6°E)

"So Sentinel doesn't want Optimus coming to the moon," sighed Fanzone.

"Apparently not," said Sari. "But let me communicate with Optimus. I'll let the two Primes work that out."

"Good strategy, Sar!" said Bumblebee. "In the meantime, we'll keep a close watch on the monitors and see where the Decepticons are ultimately headed."

"Oh, by the way: Sentinel wants me to join the Steelhaven crew in battle if Team Chaar lands here," said Sari. "That's why he asked me to stay after the meeting."

"Good decision!" said Bee. "Make us proud, Sar!"

"I assume he'll be your Field Commander, Sari," said Fanzone, saluting. "We shall do our very best here at the station to support you all in combat."

"Thanks, Lieutenant!" said Sari, returning the salute.

**So Sari will join the Steelhaven crew should Team Chaar land on the moon – as seems likely. Sari will make sure Optimus knows that Sentinel believes his presence is not needed; presumably Optimus and Sentinel will have a conversation about THAT. Thanks for reading.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Sari contacted Optimus to give him a status report.**

"So Sari, how did your meeting go?" asked Optimus.

"Well sir, we can't complain – too much," smiled Sari. By the way, just to let you know, Sentinel says it's not necessary for the Ark-32 to come to the moon."

"I see," he replied. "Well, that's not his decision to make. Farside Beacon One is a Cyberton/Earth cooperative, and my team is responsible for protecting Earth's assets. I'll have to make sure he understands that."

The display board on Farside Beacon One was now reading:

**ALERT  
**Object(s) Detected: Decepticon Ship  
Number: 1  
Estimated Time of Arrival: 01:05:18  
Probability of Arrival: 98%  
Projected Arrival Distance (Km): 500 km  
Projected Coordinates: (19.3°S 122.6°E)

"They'll be here soon," said Fanzone.

"Optimus is on his way," said Sari.

"Our teams are ready," said Bumblebee.

Fanzone nodded. "I'll be at the controls with my men. We'll be your eyes and ears, should any other Decepticon ships show up."

"And I will be outside." Said Bumblebee. "Sar, I guess you should head on over to Steelhaven."

Good luck, Sari," said Fanzone, saluting. "Go kick some butt!"

"Thanks, Lieutenant!" Sari returned the salute, and left the station.

Bumblebee went to go check on Firestar and Sandstorm. "You guys ready?"

"Ready, Sir!"

"Ready, Sir!"

Both bots took control of the weaponry. Sandstorm botted the starfield missile launcher; Firestar, the particle-combustion cannons. If needed, either could turn to one of the four laser emitters.

**Battle with Team Chaar**

- Decepticons: Strika, Oil Slick, Blot, Mindwipe, Sky-Byte, Scalpel

- Steelhaven Crew: Sentinel Prime, Warpath, Jetfire, Jetstorm – Sari

- Farside Beacon One: Bumblebee, Sandstorm, Firestar; Fanzone, Pond, Burdick, Tucker

- Ark-32: Optimus Prime, Jazz, Ratchet, Arcee

* * *

"Sentinel Prime! Decepticon ship in sight!" Said Jetfire. "We intercept, yes?"

"That's just what they would expect us to do, isn't it?" Said Sentinel.

"Uh, yes?"

"So, we won't. We'll surprise them; catch them off guard," he said with a wave of his servo. "By doing that, it will draw their fire away from the station."

"It will?"

"Of course it will! Don't question a superior officer's judgment!"

On the Team Chaar ship, they were readying for a battle with the Steelhaven. Strika ordered all defensive weaponry active.

"General, they're not taking off!" Said Sky-Byte.

Strika couldn't believe her luck! "What is this - they're just sitting there? Oh, I forgot, this is the military genius Sentinel Prime! So Prime, you think I will go after Steelhaven like a decoy and miss my prime target? Idiot! Attack the station - ignore the Autobot ship."

They went into attack formation directly at Farside Beacon One.

"What are they doing?" Yelled Sentinel. "Take off! Take off!"

"Fire!" Yelled Strika. But before they could fire on the station, her ship received a volley from the port side! The Ark-32 fired on them with all their weapons!

"What the? Evasive maneuvers!" Yelled Strika. Their ship avoided Optimus' weapons, but was unprepared for another strike from below. This came courtesy of Sandstorm's starfield missile launcher. It struck her ship's starboard engine, knocking it out.

"General, we must land!" Said Sky-Byte.

"Very well. Scalpel, repair the engine as soon as you are able."

Sentinel got on his communicator to the Ark-32. "Optimus, what are you doing here? I said your presence was not needed!"

"You're welcome! And it's not your call," he replied. "Those are Earth's assets I'm protecting."

The Ark-32 landed beside the Decepticon ship, about 3 kilometers from the station. Ratchet, Optimus, Arcee, and Jazz emerged.

The first to emerge from the Decepticon ship was Oil Slick. Bumblebee was waiting beside their ship and rushed toward him, blasting with his stingers.

"Hey there Autobot, here's an oldie but a goodie. Catch!" said Oil Slick, flicking a vial at Bumblebee.

"Bumblebee, watch out!" yelled Ratchet. The vial broke open in front of Bumblebee. Cosmic Rust! It began eating away at his armor. "Aaah!" he screamed.

"Hold still, kid!" yelled Ratchet, running to his side, and quickly covered the affected area with corrostop. "Blasted Deceptislime!" cursed Ratchet. He fired an EMP blast at Oil Slick, but coward that he is, the Decepticon transformed and sped away.

Sky-Byte emerged and rushed toward the Ark-32. Jetfire and Jetstorm had left Steelhaven and took after him. They kept him occupied, taunting the Decepticon and flying around him in tight circles.

"Hey, big mouth! You big scary monster - NOT!" Said Jetfire. His over-sensitive ego hurt, Sky-Byte swatted at them like flies. "Shut up!" he yelled at the two.

"Look at face! He scares you, brother?" says Jetstorm.

"What, him? No! Check out teeth," laughed Jetfire. "Supposed to be what, goofy shark?"

"Come a little closer, you two flying tunnel drones, and I'll show you!" Said Sky-Byte, snapping at them.

Blot lumbered out and began spewing mucus over Steelhaven. Warpath went after him. "Hey, stinky, open wide! BAM!" He fired a blast from his chest gun that knocked Blot on his back.

"You stupid retro-rat!" yelled Sentinel. "How DARE you spit on my ship!" He thrust his lance at Blot, only to have Blot use the lance to right himself. Running away, Blot turned and spit mucus all over Sentinel's Skyboom Shield. "Oh, that's just great!" He complained. "Now how am I going to get THIS sticky gunk off?"

While all this was happening, Strika transformed into her battle tank and took off toward Farside Beacon One. "Arcee! Ratchet! Follow me!" yelled Optimus. "Keep her away from the station!" Bumblebee, recovered from the Cosmic Rust attack, followed behind.

"Jazz, stay behind and keep an eye on Sari," said Optimus. He was concerned about whatever Sentinel might order her to do.

Mindwipe flew behind Strika. Her plan was to let Mindwipe hypnotize the humans into destroying the station on the inside, while she destroyed the exterior.

Sentinel Prime saw Mindwipe flying overhead, and decided to order Sari to go after him. "Sumdac! Attack Mindwipe!"

"Yes, sir!" Sari used her jet skates to get behind Mindwipe, and fired orbs up at him. With his extrasensory perception, he easily dodged every blast. Flying lower, he taunted her. "Come closer, Technorganic, perhaps you'll have better luck."

Jazz watched Sari going after Mindwipe. "Did Sentinel brief Sari on his powers?" he wondered. Knowing Sentinel, he doubted it, and began running to be closer to her.

Mindwipe executed feints on each orb attack, allowing Sari to get ever closer, until jumping, she did a Ninja twist, attempting to use her arm blade on his wing, but sensing the maneuver he twisted out of the way, turning his face at the precise moment hers faced his, optics glowing red.

"Look here, Technorganic," said Mindwipe to Sari.

"Sari! No! Look away!" yelled Jazz.

Too late! She glanced up at his face. "You are under my control, Sari Sumdac," he said, landing before her.

"No! I…" Sari struggled. She turned her helmet away and tried to close her optics, but it was no use. She was forced to look back into his face. Staring, her optics turned red and her arms dropped to the side. "Yes, Mindwipe," she said. "What is your command?"

"Destroy the Autobots!" he ordered.

Sari slowly turned to the nearest Autobot. She raised her arm and pointed her servo at Bumblebee. "Destroy the Autobot," she repeated.

Bumblebee turned and saw his friend preparing to fire a deadly orb at him. "Sari?" Her servo began glowing. Strika watched this with glee. "Goodbye, Autobot," she said.

Sari's optics suddenly turned blue again. Recognizing Bumblebee, she shook her helmet, trying to shake the impulse. "Bee? I can't! I…"

"Destroy the Autobot!"

Seizing the opportunity, Jazz had only seconds. Using Processor-Over-Matter, he tried to reach her Spark. "Sari, you must push back against Mindwipe. You must resist. You must resist. Resist. Resist."

"Resist, resist," Sari said to herself. Her optics revealed the struggle as they went back and forth from blue to red, back to blue as her Processor-Over-Matter began to push back against Mindwipe's powers. "Resist!"

"YOU WILL OBEY ME!" yelled Mindwipe.

"NO!" said Sari, and with a stunned look on his face, she turned her servo to Mindwipe and fired the orb at him instead! It blew a hole right through his Spark chamber. "Aaah!" He screamed, and fell back lifeless onto the lunar surface.

"Mindwipe? No! Curse the Cyber-Ninjas!" yelled Strika.

Mindwipe destroyed, Sari was completely freed from his powers. "Are you alright, Sari?" Jazz asked, rushing to her side. "Yes, Sensei, thank you for rescuing me."

"Sorry, Bee!" Sari yelled to Bumblebee, "It wasn't me!"

"It's OK, Sar! Go get Scalpel!" Scalpel was scampering towards Mindwipe. "Good parts, ya! Ze processor intact!" he was saying.

"Step aside, Sumdac! I've got him!" yelled Sentinel.

Sentinel transformed into vehicle mode in an attempt to mow down Scalpel. "C'mere you little six-legged freak!" He sped toward the diminutive Decepticon.

"Oh, big Autobot! Attack poor little Scalpel! Whatever shall I do?" Using his six legs, he easily dodged out of Sentinel's path, and managed instead to grab hold of his undercarriage. Swinging easily, he hooked on and took out his tools. "Oooh, look at all these bolts! What might happen here, I vunder? Chop chop!" And with a quick turn, Scalpel cut loose two of Sentinel's wheels. They flew off into the distance.

"Aaah!" yelled Sentinel as he crashed into a ditch.

"Aw, poor Autobot. Need tow truck, no?" laughed Scalpel as he scampered over toward Mindwipe.

"Somebody get me out of here!" yelled Sentinel.

Thus immobilized, Oil Slick seized upon the opportunity to use his favorite fighting style, vehicular combat. He went into attack mode, intending to destroy Sentinel.

In attack mode, if he managed to smash him up on the outside, Sentinel would be smashed up on the inside. Oil Slick took off at maximum speed toward the disabled Autobot.

"Sentinel, transform and get out of there!" yelled Jazz, but Sentinel was oblivious, embarrassed about getting stuck in the pit. He kept trying to extricate himself using his two good wheels.

Sari saw Oil Slick's attack, and her training kicked in. Calculating Oil Slick's speed, she formed an orb in her servo, and began to run between him and Sentinel.

Strika watched this maneuver with amusement. "Foolish girl!" she laughed. "Running? How could she manage to catch up to a vehicle as fast as Oil Slick?

Targeting mod engaged, Sari completed her running windup and threw the orb – not at Oil Slick, but at the space ahead of him, aiming at the precise spot where he would be. Meanwhile, Oil Slick was too focused on ramming Sentinel to notice Sari, or the orb coming into his field of vision. As Sari's targeting mod calculated, his front bumper made contact with the orb midway between himself and Sentinel.

Up to this point, Sari's thrown orbs only hit non-moving, non-sentient objects.

The behavior of the orb in contact with a moving object was very different. The moment it touched Oil Slick's bumper, the blue sphere became a large flat disc. His kinetic energy changed the effect as well. The vehicle's momentum pushed him into the disc like a missile striking a stretchable net, until it completely encapsulated Oil Slick, but it then closed up behind him and proceeded to shrink, moving forward like a fading comet, until blinking out with a white flash.

What was most alarming to everyone who observed this was the horrifying, fading scream as the shrinking white capsule proceeded to constrict Oil Slick's atoms into the localized event horizon.

"What? What happened? Where is Oil Slick?" Said Strika. Stunned, she realized he was gone at the hands of the Technorganic.

Transforming out of her battle tank, she used her reciprocating blasters to strike Steelhaven and the Ark-32, disabling their ability to fly. She received a comm message from Scalpel "Ship's engine repaired, ready for takeoff!"

"Sky-Byte! Blot! Retreat!" she yelled. The three Decepticons joined Scalpel on their ship as it took off from the moon.

On the ship, Sky-Byte freaked out at what he saw on the deck behind him.

"Scalpel! What the slag is Mindwipe's helmet doing here? Did you decapitate him?" asked Sky-Byte.

"Good parts in there! Good experiments, no?" replied Scalpel.

"Get that damn thing outta here! It's looking at me!" said Sky-Byte. "Creeps me out!"

"Feh! You weak bit brain," he muttered to himself, as he dragged the decapitated Mindwipe head away to his lab.

Meanwhile, back on the moon, Ratchet repaired Sentinel.

"There! You've got your wheels back on," said Ratchet.

"About time!" complained Sentinel.

"You're welcome!" replied the old bot.

"Ratchet?"

"Depends on who's asking." He turned to see Sari walking towards him with a young fembot in tow.

"I am so excited to meet you, Ratchet!" said the bot. "My name is Firestar. I'm planning to attend the Protihex Medical Mechanics University and study to become a medic."

"Well! So very nice to meet you, Firestar!" Ratchet smiled. "What field are you hoping to get into?"

"I want to get into rescue missions," she said.

"Good field, good field. Lots of opportunities for a young bot," he replied. Ratchet glanced over at the damaged engines on the Ark-32. "We may be here for a while. Why don't you come on in to the ship, and I can show you my sick bay? That is, if it's OK with Bumblebee."

Firestar looked over at her superior officer. "Sure, OK with me!" he replied. "You two go ahead and talk medical stuff."

**So the battle against Team Chaar is ended! Sari managed to overcome Mindwipe's hypnotic powers and put him away (although no telling what Scalpel might be able to do with the parts he retrieved). And Oil Slick is gone! Strika has escaped to fight another day. Thanks for reading.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Some post-battle things to take care of.**

Ratchet called Sari in to his Sick Bay after the battle with Team Chaar. It was standard Autobot medical protocol to do a full Spark and processor check on a bot that had been under Mindwipe's control, and besides, it was nearing time for her regular Technorganic physical.

"Sari, do you mind if Firestar observes while I conduct your physical?" asked Ratchet.

"Not at all," said Sari, smiling, "glad to be your guinea pig."

"Guinea pig?" asked Firestar with a puzzled look on her faceplate.

"Small organic Earth creature," said Ratchet. Humans used to use them for medical experiments, before they developed computerized simulations. Sari's just being her typical silly self," he winked.

"Oh! I get it," Firestar laughed.

Sari lay on the examination table while Ratchet botted the controls and Firestar observed. Various models of her bot components appeared, some on monitors, others in three-dimensional holographic displays. One monitor began a slow, one-line-at-a-time detailed screen display of mod listings. Some rows were brightly lit, others were dimmed. The list continued scrolling for quite some time.

Ratchet would glance at the list from time to time, pausing it, muttering "hmm, OK," or "yup, yup," then let it continue. Firestar watched him with mild amusement. "Ratchet, is that a reference list of Autobot mods?"

Ratchet looked at her and started chuckling. "Never thought of it that way, but you know, it almost could be. No, it's a list of Sari's mods. The highlighted rows are the mods she has now; the others are ones that'll turn on as she gets older."

Her optics widened. "Wait, what?" She pointed back at the display. "She has all those?"

"Yep."

Firestar looked over at her Technorganic friend lying on the examination table with a new sense of wonder and respect.

"OK Sari, everything looks good so far," said Ratchet. "Don't see any new mods coming on just yet, but Jazz tells me you are due for some high-powered Cyber-Ninja training as soon as you get back to Earth. Now, let's go and make sure that Decepticreep Mindwipe didn't do any permanent damage." Ratchet adjusted the scopes for a more detailed analysis on her Spark Chamber and her processor.

Two enlarged, live-action three-dimensional holograms appeared on a nearby table, one of her Spark Chamber, the other of her processor. Ratchet used his magnifying optic to closely examine specific areas. "I've studied other bots in my time who've been hypnotized by Mindwipe," he told Firestar. "Most often, you will find scarring in the conus brevis," he said, showing her an area by the left anterior side of the Spark Chamber. Next, he turned to the processor. "Over here scars would appear as microscopic speckle pitting in the superior prosseculor," pointing to an area in the mid-lower section of Sari's processor.

"What would the treatment be?" asked Firestar.

"Well, nothing I could do here," replied Ratchet. "The Autobot would be sent to Cybertron for open-processor surgery."

Sari was listening to this while on the examination table, and getting worried!

Ratchet carefully examined both sites with his magnifying optic, looking for any damage. After several digit-biting cycles, he turned off the holographic models, retracted his magnifying optic and came back to the examination table. His patient sat up, looking very nervous.

Ratchet gave her a reassuring smile. "Sari, you are one lucky bot. I see no evidence of scarring."

"Whew! That's a relief," she said.

"I would attribute it to three things: first, Jazz got to you quickly; second, you pushed back with your Processor-Over-Matter; and finally, you shot your orb straight through Mindwipe's Spark Chamber, dispatching him immediately to his just punishment, but most importantly, releasing you from his control." Ratchet shut down the monitors and patted her shoulder. "Clean bill of health."

"Congratulations, Sari! What did it feel like, his hypnotism?" asked Firestar.

"When he made me look into his optics, I was no longer there. I was pushed out of my processor, if that makes any sense," Sari tried to explain. "The next thing I knew, I 'woke up', looking at Bumblebee. I think it was my Processor-Over-Matter that did it on its own, pushing his power away for a moment, which must have been how I managed to get back into consciousness."

"Then, I remember Jazz speaking to my Spark, telling me to engage my P-O-M and resist. I could feel Mindwipe's power coming back, trying to push me away. Luckily Jazz had come at just the right moment. Had it been just a few seconds later, Mindwipe might have succeeded in pushing me away without my P-O-M being able to get back in."

"I began meditating, and was able to push him back enough so that I could regain full control of my body," she continued. "Up to the point I did that, everything was locked – I wasn't able to move anything but my helmet, but once I regained control, I was able to yell 'NO!' and turn around to aim my orb away from – from Bumblebee, and, and at Mindwipe instead."

Sari put her servos on her faceplate and shook her helmet, shuddering at the thought of how close she came to shooting a lethal orb at her best friend. "Oh, I almost killed Bee!"

Firestar reached over and put a comforting servo on Sari's shoulder.

"It's OK kid, you aren't the first Autobot that Mindwipe ordered to attack one of our own," said Ratchet. "In fact, you did all of us a favor by getting rid of him."

"Thanks, Ratchet, Firestar," said Sari, putting her arms down. "It's a horrible experience, losing control of your processor like that and having someone take total control of you."

"I know how you feel, Sari," said a voice at the Sick Bay door. Sari, Ratchet and Firestar turned to see Arcee standing in the doorway.

She entered the room. "When I woke up from my coma on Omega Supreme and realized I was a prisoner of the Decepticons, Shockwave hit me with a painful EMP blast and proceeded to perform awful, open processor surgery on me. I was not completely unconscious; I could feel him rifling through my circuits, looking at all my most personal memories, in search of the Omega Supreme activation code. I had no way of stopping him. I never felt so violated!" Arcee grimaced painfully and shut her optics; Ratchet stepped towards her to hold her servo in his.

She opened her optics and looked at Sari. "Whenever he tired of looking through my memories, he would throw me into a fugue state. Like you, I was pushed out of my processor."

"Perceptor thought I was permanently damaged, that I would never recover." She took Sari's servo in hers and looking at Firestar, said: "It was Sari's special mod and Ratchet's EMP generator skills that finally repaired my processor and brought me back. I owe everything to them both," she said, smiling.

Sari looked up at Arcee and smiled back. "Thanks, Arcee." She now shared a common bond with her friend, and could thus begin the emotional healing from her encounter with Mindwipe.

* * *

Repairs on the Ark-32 and Steelhaven were completed. Sentinel and his crew prepared to return to Cybertron. Everyone assembled to bid him and his crew farewell.

"We have done our job here, defending Farside Beacon One from Decepticon attack," said Sentinel Prime. "We leave you now and return to Cybertron. All of you have done a superb job. But before I leave, I want to recognize a member of your crew who performed exceptionally in battle. Sari Sumdac, step forward."

Surprised, Sari stepped in front and faced Sentinel. "Sumdac, you did a fine job ridding us of Mindwipe and Oil Slick," he said. I will pass these accomplishments along to the Autobot High Council for recognition. Well done!"

"Thank you, sir!" Sari saluted. He returned her salute, and he and the crew boarded Steelhaven. As it left, all on the moon congratulated her on this rare recognition!

"Wow, Sar! Praise from Sentinel? Who'd a thunk it?" Said Bumblebee.

"Good job, Sari," said Optimus. "Although, I suspect in his report, he may forget to include the part about getting his wheels removed and crashing into the ditch," he smiled.

"Congratulations, Sari," said Fanzone. "Well done indeed! On behalf of my crew, thank you for defending our station."

Sari thanked everyone, and bid farewell to the Farside Beacon One crew.

She and Bumblebee took some time to do a final tour of the station they built with Bulkhead. "Well, Bee, you're all that's left of The Three Amigos, at least, on the moon," she sighed.

"Hey! The power of The Three Amigos boldly goes where no bot has gone before!"

"Bee, you watch too many old Earth shows," Sari laughed. Anyway, you're in charge now. Bulky and I will look up at night and think of you every time the moon comes up in the sky."

"Wish I could do the same, Sar, but we're on the wrong side, eh?" he smiled. "Tell you what: you show up every now and then on Sumdac video conferences – deal?"

"Deal! And you stop by the Autobot Command Center on your trips down to Earth to pay me a visit. I'll be the one doing all the crazy Cyber-Ninja drills in Jazz' training area."

"You got it!" They arrived back at the Ark-32. Sari walked up the ramp so she could be level to Bumblebee, and gave him a hug. "Miss you, Bee!"

He hugged back. "Miss you too, Sar. You give my best to your Dad and the big guy, OK?"

"Will do!" Sari boarded the ship. "All set, Sari?" asked Optimus.

"Ready, sir!"

"Next stop, Detroit!" And with the crew buckled in, Optimus botted the ship's controls as it took off from the lunar surface. Sari watched out the starboard side as Farside Beacon One grew smaller and smaller, until it finally disappeared in a sea of craters.

As the Ark-32 left the far side of the moon, Sari watched the blue Earth rise over the lunar horizon. "Hello, home," she said to herself. "Nice to see you again."

Arcee was sitting next to Sari and caught her smiling to herself. "What are you thinking, Sari?"

"Oh, my Dad, my room, Detroit, Burger Bot," she said.

"Those are happy thoughts," Arcee smiled. "And we're glad to have you coming back with us."

**So Sari's sojourn on the moon is over. She returns to Earth for some advanced Cyber-Ninja training with her Sensei, and probably some new mods in the near future. Thanks for reading.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Sari's back on Earth, getting some advanced training with Jazz, and a friend stops by for a promised visit. She also learns something interesting about her appearance!**

Bumblebee had come down to Earth for a meeting with the Sumdac Systems Board of Directors. He kept his promise to Sari, and after the meeting had adjourned, went over to the Autobot Command Center.

"Well, Bumblebee! Good to see you!" said Optimus. "How are things on the moon with Firestar and Sandstorm?"

"Good, Optimus. My guys are doing a great job!"

"That was a terrific shot Sandstorm made, taking down the Decepticon ship," Optimus said. "I certainly hope you put in a commendation to the Autobot High Council."

"Oh, I did," he said. "By the way, where's Sari? I promised her I'd stop by and pay a visit when I was down."

"She's over in Jazz's training area. But I'd be careful entering there if I were you. He's got her doing some really advanced Cyber-Ninja things."

"Hey, when am I not careful?"

"This is Bumblebee we're talking about, right?" smiled Optimus, as Bumblebee marched down the hallway.

"Excellent P-O-M Sari!" Jazz was commenting on her latest Processor-Over-Matter exercise in the training room. It had been two months since her return from the moon, and they were working on several advanced techniques. His latest efforts involved getting her to stretch and strengthen her capabilities.

Today, they had gone into his large training room at the far end of the Command Center. It was filled with heavy construction materials like I-beams, oil drums, rebar and concrete blocks of various sizes. Sari sat on the floor in Lotus position, across from the entrance to the room, optics closed. Jazz wanted to test her on how many filled oil drums she was able to levitate without seeing. She was up to twenty.

"Now, move them around," said Jazz, "and be sure to not hit anything. Keep your optics closed; see the room with your Spark." Sari complied, and the drums began slowly spinning in a wide circle around the room.

Just then, Bumblebee waltzed in. "Hey, Sar, guess who's here! I just finished a meeting, and…whoa!" he yelled, diving for the floor before a passing oil drum threatened to knock him over. It wouldn't have, of course, because Sari "saw" him coming in and lifted it up as it passed near the doorway - but Bumblebee didn't know that! She opened an optic just long enough to peek at Bumblebee; her mouthplate covered a tiny smile.

"Bumblebee, be careful!" said Jazz. "We're in the middle of a training session." He turned back to his gakusei. "Alright, Sari, good job. Now, put the oil drums back."

Sari stacked the drums one by one back against the wall, neatly in a pyramid.

Bumblebee got up and watched as the drums floated in midair and got stacked. He turned to look back at Sari and saw that her optics were closed. "Great Cybertron, Sar!" he thought to himself. "I'm impressed!"

No sooner did she complete the stacking when Jazz levitated a construction I-beam off the floor from the opposite end of the room and sent it flying horizontally at her, yelling "Sari! Crystalocution!"

"Aaah!" yelled Bumblebee, diving back onto the training room floor as one end zoomed past his helmet.

Sari immediately jumped up from her seated position and stood in a sideways Ninja battle stance: helmet forward, knees bent, left arm cocked back, right arm forward and servo ready.

Optics in a stern Ninja frown, she concentrated at the beam racing towards her, and at the last second, with a lightning fast thrust and a loud yell, struck the I-beam near the middle, splitting it at the fracture point. The pieces flew past her on either side and crashed into the wall with a loud "BANG!"

Ratchet came running into the room. "What in blazes was that?" He surveyed the situation: Jazz and Sari standing, Bumblebee sprawled face-down on the floor, two pieces of I-beam implanted into the far cinder block wall. "Oh I see, just another training day in Cyber-Ninja land. Carry on!" and walked out, muttering "Gonna bring this place down on our helmets, those two…"

"Nicely done, Sari," said Jazz. "Training is over for today."

"Bee! You came to visit!" called Sari, running towards him, as Bumblebee was getting up. "I'm so happy to see you!"

"Hey Sar! Girl, you're really getting this Ninja stuff down! Sorry if I interrupted anything," he said to Jazz.

"No worries, my friend," said Jazz, smiling. "Just glad you managed to dodge the path of whatever was flying around. I tell the bots here to keep an optic out before coming in."

Sari bowed to her Sensei and took her leave. "So Bee, what should we do? I have a new video game to show you. It's over in the living room."

"Sounds great, Sar! But first, where's the big guy? I didn't see him when I got here."

"Oh, you just missed him; he went up to Sumdac Tower to work with my Dad. He's got an idea on how to improve the space bridge. Let's go and see how they're doing."

The two were about ready to leave Autobot Command Center when Ratchet spied them walking past his doorway. "Hey, Sari! Got some news that will interest you. Just received some info from Dataminer. Come on in to my lab for a minute." Bumblebee and Sari followed him into the med bay.

"What's up?" she asked.

"You know how you've always had a full time mouthplate, and all everyone sees are your optics?"

"Well, yeah, I just assumed that's how it was always going to be."

"Well, Dataminer told me that it's actually supposed to be retractable, just like Bumblebee's. He found the spot in your processor where it's controlled, so you can open and close it at will. Would you like me to enable that ability?"

"Yeah! Go for it!"

"OK, lie down on my examination table." She hopped up and lay back while Ratchet referred to the information he received from Dataminer. Coming back to the table, he tapped some keys on his equipment. A green light came on, and Sari felt a slight tingling. "OK, that's it. Go ahead and sit up. You now have the ability to retract your mouthplate. Give it a try."

Sari sat up, and with a thought, her mouthplate dropped until it covered just her chin. Still outlining her optics was the flat black area, but previously hidden was now revealed a blue fembot face, the same color as her Spark Chamber. And on her face was a small nose and red-lipped mouth.

"Whoa!" Said Bumblebee, stepping back and staring, optics-wide at his friend. "Girl, you look so different!"

"Let me see! Let me see!" said Sari. Ratchet gave her a mirror. She looked at her new self. "Wow! Cool!" she said, moving the mirror around, examining her new look. "Aaah, oh, eeeeh, ooooh," she said, watching her bot mouth move as she vocalized. "Hey! Cute nose, too!" as she touched it.

"You look nice, kid," said Ratchet. He stepped back, and putting servo to chin, looked a little more closely. "You know, now that I see the whole thing, it's all in the same general arrangement and proportion as your human face – which I guess makes sense."

"I think Ratchet's right," said Bumblebee. "Give it a try, Sar. Switch to your human face, then to your new bot face, to compare." Sari did this, going back and forth. She used the mirror, and saw that as she went from human to bot, back to human, the nose and mouth stayed in the exact same location; only the background changed, from brown skin to blue bot-face.

"I like it!" she said. "Thanks, Ratchet!"

"You're welcome! I'll let Dataminer know you're pleased with the results."

"Hey, Bee! Let's go and see who notices!" She jumped off the table and was excited to discover who would be the first.

They came up to Optimus, who was working on some equipment. "Optimus, Sari and I are going over to Sumdac Tower to see Bulkhead. Any messages for him?" asked Bumblebee. Sari suppressed a snicker.

Optimus turned around. "Yes, can you tell him…" He looked at Sari, did a double-take, and raised an optic. Putting down what he had in his servo, he said, "All right you two, what's up with this new look?" Finally he smiled and said, "New mod, Sari?"

"Ratchet and Dataminer figured out I'm able to retract my mouthplate," she said. She turned around like a model on the runway, hips swaying, servos waving. "So? What do you think?"

Optimus, recovered from his initial surprise, said, "It looks very nice, Sari. Come to think of it, it looks like a bot version of your human face."

"That's what Ratchet thought," Sari replied.

"Anyway, please tell Bulkhead I need the schematics for his new space bridge improvements. Mainframe wants to examine them."

"Yes, sir," she replied. And off they went. After they left, Optimus closed his optics and a sad expression crossed his face, because Sari's new look reminded him of someone, another fembot from long, long ago. "Sari, you remind me a little bit of Elita-1," he sighed.

"OK Bee, who's next?"

"Ooh, Mirror-Manifold II! I wanna see Glyph's reaction! And Wheeljack!" said Bumblebee.

"Yeah, but what's our reason for entering? We can't just waltz in," said Sari. "They're very…scientific over there."

"I know! We can say we have a question for Glyph about, uh, and then, we can talk about…OK I got nothin'".

"Let's just go to Sumdac Tower," said Sari, laughing.

They walked over to Sumdac Systems, and took the elevator up to Isaac's office. "Hi, Tara!" said Sari.

"Good afternoon, Sari," said her dad's robo-secretary. "Your father is on the roof working with the Autobot Bulkhead."

"Thank you," she replied.

"Well!" Sniffed Bumblebee, "She certainly didn't notice anything."

"She's programmed to keep unwanted people from bothering my Dad, that's it," said Sari. If she noticed anything, she wouldn't say."

Sari and Bumblebee took the elevator up to the roof. When the doors opened, they could hear Isaac and Bulkhead in a heated discussion. "Bulkhead, are you SURE this calibration will work? I've tried it before, and it only leads to a never-ending re-calibration of the quantum vibrational strings."

"But not if you make the adjustments here," Bulkhead said, making changes to the configuration. "Look here, see?"

"Oh! I see," said Isaac.

"It's gonna work, Professor, trust me!"

"Hi, Dad! Hi Bulky!" said Sari.

"Hello, Sari," said Isaac, not looking over.

"Hi, Sari," said Bulkhead, concentrating on the space bridge console. Both were too engrossed in the delicate calibration settings that Bulkhead had come up with.

Sari and Bumblebee looked at each other, then back to Bulkhead and Isaac. "Ahem!" said Sari. "Hello?" said Bumblebee.

"OK, Professor! That's it! Give it a try," said Bulkhead. Isaac fired up the space bridge. It powered up, only this time the blue orb looked much smoother than before, and there wasn't any hint of a swirling wind – like the kind that had sucked up Captain Fanzone.

"Bulkhead, I think you've got it!" said Isaac. He stepped back from the console and turned around. "Now, what was it, Sari? You…?" He staggered back from his lift and rubbed his eyes. "Sari, is that you?"

Bulkhead turned away from the console and looked. "Hey! Somethin's different! Sari, you look taller!"

"Sari's not taller, Bulkhead! She's…her mouthplate is gone!" Isaac lowered his lift to get a closer look. "Why, Sari, you look beautiful! But, what happened to your mouthplate?"

"Ratchet and Dataminer discovered that it's retractable, and found out how to give me the ability to control it," she responded.

"See? I can put it back, like this: "...And she put her mouthplate back, "…and I can retract it: "...And then she retracted it, "...just like Bumblebee's."

"Well, I'll be!" said Bulkhead. "That's pretty neat Sari! But you DO look taller!"

"Well, it's possible I may have grown some, Bulky," she said. "After all, I AM almost 18. But I don't think the mouthplate coming off has anything to do with it," she smiled.

"Well, look at that nice smile," said Isaac. "And you are beautiful, my Sari, no matter which face you show us," he said.

"Thanks, Dad!"

**So in addition to getting a visit from her best friend on the moon, Sari discovers a new bot face she can show the world! Thanks for reading.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Sari's got a day off, with nothing to do. Looks like it might be a boring day! Just then, she got a phone call.**

"Hey, Sari! We're going to the mall today – want to come?" Adam called Sari on her cell phone.

"Sounds great, Adam! Meet you guys there – what time?"

"Food court at 11:00?"

"Sounds like a plan!" She hung up her phone. "Hey Sparky! I was afraid today was going to be a boring day, and now I've got a date with my friends!" Her robo-dog barked back and gave a happy doggy wag. She got dressed for her trip.

Sari left her room and went over to her father's study. "Hey Dad, I'm off to the mall!"

"Alright, my dear, have a good time – see you later," said Isaac. She took the elevator down to street level and hopped on her scooter.

Somer Mall was Detroit's most upscale shopping mall, with 180+ stores and restaurants in a beautiful setting. The food court was up on level 3.

"There she is! Hey, Sari!" Daniel called from their table in the food court. Sari waved from the top of the escalator. "Hey, guys, how's it going?" Sari said as she sat down.

"Doing great!" said Adam. "We're going to catch that new movie after lunch."

"Yeah, that's the one I've been waiting for," said Sari. "OK, let me go to the Burger Bot Express, and…"

Suddenly, they heard an explosion inside the mall, followed by screams.

"What the heck was that?" said Sam.

The explosion was met by the sound of machine gun fire. "What the…? We've got to get out of here!" said Adam.

By this time, there was chaos in the food court. Panic ensued as people rushed for the escalators.

"I've got to help!" said Sari, and in a flash of blue, she switched to "bot" mode. She got on her comm. "Optimus! Emergency! Explosion and machine guns at Somer Mall!"

"Acknowledged, Sari, on our way. Will alert Captain Fanzone!"

"What should we do?" asked Jennifer, frightened.

"The only ways down are the escalators, which are jammed, the elevators, which are too slow, and the stairs. I think our best bet may be the stairs," said Sari, and she led her friends to the stairwell.

Unfortunately, the food court is on the third floor, and as they neared the second, the stairs became clogged as well, with people entering from that floor. It was slow going.

"Sari, the shapes on top of your helmet are glowing blue," said Daniel. He was right. Her encryption mod was kicking in. Sari was picking up the crook's encrypted communications. "Leader, they're leaving," said one voice. "Of course, of course! Panic – it's our handmaiden," said another. "Happy hunting!"

Sari got a comm message from Optimus. "Sari, Fanzone is arriving. He's expecting you to report to him. Follow his instructions. For now, protect the innocent, but don't be a vigilante."

"Acknowledged, sir," said Sari. "Also, my encryption mod is picking up communications from the crooks. They're coordinating their efforts via encrypted radio."

"Give Fanzone your key so he can patch in," said Optimus.

"Yes, sir."

Sari and her friends finally made it to the first floor. They began making their way to the nearest exit. Just then, from the second floor, one of the crooks emerged and yelled "Hey! Will ya look at this! Like shooting fish in a barrel!" and aimed his automatic at the panicked crowd.

"Mikaela, watch out!" yelled Sari. The barrel of his gun was pointed straight at her. Sari jumped on top of her and opened up her Skyboom shield before the bullets reached them. The crook intended to spray the crowd, so Sari opened up her servo and fired an orb at him, killing the crook.

"I'm sorry, but I had to do it," she said. However, the crowd erupted in applause! Mikaela gave her a hug. "Thank you, Sari!"

As they exited the mall, Sari's mod picked up a transmission. "Mick? Mick! Are you there? Answer! Whitey! Go check on Mick!"

By the time they got outside, the police arrived. Sari retracted her mouthplate. "Guys, Optimus told me to report to Captain Fanzone," Sari told her friends. "Sorry our mall plans got interrupted."

"Whoa! Sari! That's a new look for you, isn't it?" said Mikaela.

"Huh? Oh, gee, I forgot! Yeah," she chuckled. I found out how to retract my mouthplate. How do I look?"

"Love your bot face!" said Kristin. "Still looks like you."

"Heh! Yeah," she smiled. "Anyway, I see Fanzone coming. Talk to you guys later, OK?"

"OK, Sari, good luck!" said Adam. The group headed for a safe spot, and Sari went over to the police.

"I'm Sari Sumdac, Captain," she said as she approached Fanzone. Optimus told me to help you.

"OK, Sumdac" he said. "Tell me what you know about this." Sari briefed him on what had occurred. She also told him about the encrypted transmissions she was picking up.

"Go talk to my men in the communications truck. They'll patch you in so we can hear them too."

Sari entered the truck and worked with the radio technician. He had an idea. "Sari, when you pick up a transmission, can you also determine its direction?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. As you move around, try to get a bead on where each crook is hiding. Once you get a definite location, pass it to the S.W.A.T. team."

"Will do!" Sari went back outside to Fanzone.

"OK," he told her, "I want you to go back in to the mall with Lt. Kowalski here. Locate the crooks, find where the explosion came from and if there's any wounded, bring them to the EMTs."

"Yes, sir!" She put back her mouthplate and returned to the mall as part of the S.W.A.T. team.

Optimus and the Autobots arrived on the scene. Fanzone briefed them on what Sari was doing, and the bots positioned themselves at each mall entrance to assist the people escaping.

"Sari, how fast can you move about?" asked Lt. Kowalski.

"With my jet skates, just about as fast as you need," she responded.

"OK, go ahead on your own, and move around as quickly as you can. Help get the wounded to the EMTs. Pass us intel as you find it." So she sped throughout the mall, ferrying wounded, locating patrolling crooks and communicating everything back to the S.W.A.T. team.

Wounded shoppers were scattered everywhere. Sari picked them up, and using her Skyboom shield, she protected them as she sped them outside to the EMTs.

By this time, Fanzone was in contact with the leader. He was holed up with his core group in the large bank near the main entrance to the mall. They were holding 10 people hostage, including the manager, employees, and customers.

The explosion had taken place at the opposite end of the mall to create a diversion, while the leader and his crew took over the bank. The group that composed his outer rim had been posing as mall kiosk employees. When the explosion took place, it was their cue to grab hidden weapons and begin causing panic. After the mall was evacuated, they patrolled, firing on any stray individuals.

"Boss, there's an Autobot here picking up people," said a crook on his radio.

"Some do-gooder," said the leader. "Target practice."

What the leader didn't know was that Sari and the police were eavesdropping on their conversations, and Sari was triangulating each crook's location with every word spoken. Instead of prowling through the mall corridors with impunity, their positions were being exposed and were easy targets for the S.W.A.T. team.

"Boss, something's wrong," said one of the last of the corridor crew. "Almost everyone of our outer rim's been taken out!"

"No matter, we've still got the bombs. Let's set one off to let the cops know who's in charge," said the leader.

"Bombs?" Said Fanzone. He got on his radio to the S.W.A.T. team. "Kowalksi! Watch out!"

"The bomb could be anywhere, Captain!" said the Lieutenant.

The leader pressed a button on his control panel, and the bomb detonated. It went off inside the anchor store by the west end.

"You hear that, Fanzone?" Yelled the leader. "I've got 20 of my babies planted throughout the mall."

"You're never gonna get out of there," said Fanzone. "My men will get to you!"

"Not before I take this entire mall down!" said the leader. "Now you and your men back off and let us get out, or once I'm done setting these off, I start executing these hostages, one at a time."

One of the S.W.A.T. team members contacted Fanzone. "Captain, we've lost contact with the Lieutenant!"

"Kowalksi! Kowalksi! Come in!" Yelled Fanzone on his radio. "Sumdac! Find Lieutenant Kowalski!"

Sari used her jet skates and rushed to the location of the last explosion. "Oh no!" she exclaimed. She found Kowalski's body, blown across from where it had occurred, thrown down two levels to the first floor. "Captain, I found him," she said. "Lieutenant Kowalski's dead."

"Dammit! Dammit!" yelled Fanzone, and threw his radio at the air. He grabbed one of his men. "I swear, we're gonna get this guy!"

Optimus approached Fanzone. "Let Sari and Jazz find the rest of the bombs. They can use their Cyber-Ninja powers to disarm them." Fanzone looked at him and nodded. Optimus recalled Sari on his comm. "Sari, come meet Jazz in the center of the mall."

With the outer ring of crooks taken down, Jazz and Sari sat down in the mall in lotus position. "We must use P-O-M to locate the bombs, Sari. Once we've located them, we will disarm each one."

"Yes, Sensei," said Sari. And the two Cyber-Ninjas began meditating. Their Spark senses spread out through the entire range of the mall building. One by one, they "saw" where the leader's crew had planted the bombs. And as quickly as they could, each bomb was rendered inoperable.

"Optimus, all bombs have been disarmed," said Jazz.

"Good job, you two," Optimus replied, and passed the information on to Fanzone.

"OK, I guess it's time to set off another one of my babies," said the leader. "Are you ready, Fanzone?" He said to himself. He pressed a button, but there was no explosion! "Where's my kaboom?" He said. He grabbed his right-hand man and threw him down. "There's supposed to be a kaboom!" He pressed another one. No explosion! He got on the radio. "I don't know what you did, Fanzone, but if you and your men don't pull away in five minutes, I'll begin executing these hostages, understood?"

"Sari, where are the hostages?" Jazz asked her.

"They are in the bank on the first floor."

"Let's go quickly to the employee corridor in back of the bank. We should be able to free them from there." They worked their way to the location, and sat adjacent to the door that led to the employee entrance. Using P-O-M, they studied the room holding the hostages. Communicating to each other silently, they picked out the crooks from the hostages.

"Sari, use the heavy beam on the shelf above the entrance. Knock out the two men with the guns," said Jazz.

The hostages were being kept in a conference room in the back of the bank. The conference table was shoved back against the far side and they were forced to sit on the floor in an opposite corner. Their hands and ankles were tied with twist ties. The two guards were standing near the door way.

The hostages watched in amazement as the beam on the shelf levitated up and down towards the guards. The two didn't even notice as it fell with a thud on their heads and knocked them out. Then, the twist ties on their wrists and ankles fell off. "What's going on?" one asked. Sari rushed into the room. "Sssh!" she said. "Follow me!" She led them out of the room and out the back hall.

Another guard suddenly walked into the hallway. "Hey! What's going on?" he said. He picked up his weapon and fired. Sari used her Skyboom shield to protect the group. "Hurry!" said Jazz, as the last one made it out the door. He and Sari rushed them out to safety into the arms of the S.W.A.T. team.

"Boss! The hostages escaped!"

"What? How?"

"It's over," said Fanzone. "We've got you surrounded. Time to give up."

"Why certainly, Captain. Come and get me," said the leader. He then radioed his core team.

"Gentlemen, it's time for 'Spoil Sport'," he said.

"What's he up to?" wondered Fanzone.

"Sari, Jazz, go with Fanzone and the S.W.A.T. team as they arrest the leader and his men," said Optimus. "We need to find out what 'Spoil Sport' is."

Fanzone, Jazz, Sari, and the S.W.A.T. team arrived at the bank entrance. The leader walked out, carrying a large case.

"Put the case down, put your hands up and surrender!" said Fanzone.

"Of course," said the leader. "But don't you want to see my little present first?" He opened up his case. "Any idea what it is?"

"What, another bomb?" said Fanzone, looking suspicious. Puzzled, Sari and Jazz looked at each other. It couldn't be; they didn't detect it.

"Well, no, not yet," said the leader. "But with a push of this button, voila! It becomes one!"

"A suitcase nuke!" Fanzone's eyes widened. He and his men stepped back.

"Yes! A nuclear device! And powerful enough to take out half the city," laughed the leader.

"You're mad!" said Fanzone.

"Goodbye everybody! Yes, go ahead! Run! It's set to go off in 10 seconds – you won't get far!" The leader danced around and laughed maniacally, counting down the seconds with each beep. "Seven! Six! Five!..."

Sari acted swiftly. She formed an orb in her servo.

"Three! Two!…"

Stepping forward, she threw it at the nuke. As soon as it made contact, the orb encircled the case. There was a huge white flash,

"One!"

…and it disappeared.

Fanzone's jaw dropped. "What the…?" He looked at his men and started laughing. "It's gone? It's gone? Ha!"

The leader stopped dancing, and with a horrified expression on his face, looked at the floor where the case had been. The implosion left a rectangular-shaped reverse silhouette: where it had sat, the marble bank floor was unchanged, but splattering out was a white starburst-shaped pattern. He threw his hands at the spot and screamed hysterically, "My nuke, my beautiful nuke!"

He growled at Sari. "What did you do to my baby?" Enraged, he pulled out a concealed .50-Cal. Magnum and lunged at her, aiming it point-blank.

Before he could pull the trigger, Jazz used P-O-M to yank the handgun out of his hand, breaking his fingers. He screamed, and with a swift motion Sari grabbed his wrist and belt buckle and threw him over her shoulder into the teller counter.

"OK men, take him away," said Fanzone.

Wiping his brow, he turned to the Autobots. "And thank you, Sari, for your help. We couldn't have done it without you and your Autobot friends!"

"You're welcome, Captain," said Sari, and saluted.

Sari and Jazz exited the mall. "I see your friends, Sari," said Jazz. "Why don't you go join them? Good job! I will brief Optimus and see you later."

"Thank you, Sensei," and Sari took her leave.

"Sari!" yelled Mikaela and Adam, running toward her. She retracted her mouthplate and waved. "Hi guys!" Everyone came up. "How'd it go? Did they get everyone?"

"Yeah, but I think it'll be a while before they'll reopen the mall," she said. A couple bombs went off, and lots of people were injured, but the good news is, we've got the guys who did this."

"Way to go Sari!" said everyone. "High five! Woo hoo!"

"So, now, what do we do?" asked Daniel.

Well, let's get in your van, and we'll find another spot!" said Sari. "My scooter's parked in the garage.

Just then, news reporters began heading their way.

"Uh oh, Sari, looks like they're gonna want an interview," said Adam.

"Oh, no," she groaned. A flash of blue, and Sari switched to "human" mode. "Think I can evade them now?" she smiled, blending into the group.

The reporters arrived. "Hey kids! Where'd that Autobot go?"

"She just up and disappeared!" said Jennifer.

"Darn!" said the reporters, and walked away. Jennifer turned to Sari and winked. "Well, I didn't exactly lie."

"OK, everyone in my van," said Daniel. "Let's go get Sari's scooter."

**Well, Sari's day certainly did not turn out boring! And she may have helped Captain Fanzone's attitude about machines – well maybe. Thanks for reading.**


	18. Chapter 18

**This chapter takes place just before Sari is to report back to Cybertron.**

**Sari is relaxing with her friends at Burger Bot - a "farewell" outing before she heads back.**

"Ladies and gentlemen, please raise a french fry," said Adam. "A toast, to our good friend Sari, who must – temporarily – depart our company for Cybertron."

All raised their french fries to Sari. "Here, here!"

Sari bowed in her seat. "Thank you! Thank you! And I promise, I shall return to this august assembly in six months!"

"So, Sari, more training, I assume?" asked Jennifer.

"Training of one kind or another," she replied. "It's up to Jazz and Optimus. But I will have lots of time for other things, like exploring far off Autobot places."

Just then her phone rang. "Hold on, it's my Dad."

"Hey, Dad! What's up?"

"Oh, Sari, Sumdac Systems needs your help - I'm afraid we're in a real pickle this time."

"Another production line snafu?" Sari winked and whispered to her friends, "Something's gone wrong at Sumdac Systems." Daniel chuckles and holds up a french fry up like a mighty sword, "Sari Sumdac – to the rescue!" All snigger.

"Oh, no, I'm afraid this is much, much worse. It involves one of our satellites."

"A satellite?" Sari replies, raising her eyebrows. Now her friends are really curious! "Satellite?" they look at each other.

"Yes! We need you to go up to space and try to repair it."

"Repair it? In space?" Sari looks back at her friends, who by now are wide-eyed.

"But, Dad, I'm leaving for Cybertron tomorrow."

"It's OK Sari, I've cleared it with Optimus. In fact he's going up with you on the Ark-32. Anyway, I'll explain everything when you get home. Tomorrow we fly to Houston to meet with the scientists."

"OK, Dad, see you tonight." Sari hangs up.

"OK, Sari, you've got us all on the edge of our seats. What's this about?" asked Adam. "First: You're going up in space? Second: To fix a satellite? C'mon, give!"

Sari sat back and sighed. "OK, OK. Yeah, tomorrow I have to fly to Houston with my Dad to meet with the Sumdac scientists."

"Houston! Well, what's wrong with the satellite?" asked Kristin.

"I don't know – not yet, anyway, my Dad didn't say. I guess I'll get the details when I'm down there."

"How are they gonna get you up to the satellite?" said Daniel.

"Oh! I'll go up with Optimus in the Ark-32. Once we're next to the satellite, I'm not sure how I'll get onto it – I guess…space walk?" She shrugged.

"Dang, Sari, you get the coolest jobs!" said Sam.

* * *

Sari and Isaac flew down to Houston on Sumdac System's private jet. On the flight down, Isaac explained the situation to Sari.

"Sumdac Systems has a communications satellite, the SSC-21. It has malfunctioned. My scientists lost contact with it and tracking systems show that it is now in orbital decay."

"Meaning, it's losing altitude?" Sari asked.

"Correct. When it was first launched, the SSC-21 was intended to remain in low-earth orbit, at about 350 km, but since its malfunction, orbital station-keeping has failed, and its altitude has degraded to just above 325 km."

"What's 'orbital station-keeping'?"

"That's the thruster burns that are needed to keep a spacecraft in a particular assigned orbit," Isaac explained. "For many Earth satellites the effects of the non-Keplerian forces, that is, the deviations of the gravitational force of the Earth from that of a homogeneous sphere, gravitational forces from Sun/Moon, solar radiation pressure and air-drag must be counteracted, and..."

Sari interrupted, "Uh, Dad, in English, please?"

Isaac chuckled. "It keeps it from falling back to Earth."

"OK, that I can understand," she smiled.

"Unfortunately, it's not working, and this one IS falling back to Earth. To make matters worse, the satellite contains almost 500 kg of hazardous chemicals."

"Oh yikes! So I have to get it fixed before it starts burning up in the atmosphere?"

"Well, even before that, my dear. The government told us that if the satellite gets below 225 km, they will be forced to send up a missile to blow it up. So any repairs must be done quickly, and then the satellite's orbital station-keeping systems must kick in before its altitude gets below that number."

"But, what if I'm still on the satellite and it gets below 225 km? Are they still going to try to blow it up – with me on it?"

"No! No! Optimus will make sure he gets you off well before that time, I assure you!"

"Yeah, well, better be!" She frowned. Sari was starting to not like this mission!

"So why isn't Optimus coming to Houston?"

"He'll be joining us on video conference."

"On videoconference? Then why are we going?"

"You need to be down there so you can begin practicing."

"Huh?"

"They have a mock-up of the satellite in a huge pool, where you will practice your space walk and maneuvering around the satellite. That way, when you do it for real, it won't feel like you're doing it for the first time."

"What's the purpose of the pool, and keeping a mock-up underwater?"

"It's called the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, or NBL for short. It's used to simulate the weightless environment of space. "

* * *

They arrived in Houston, and went to the Sumdac Systems headquarters where the SSC-21 team was stationed. In the large bay where they held the meeting was a model of the satellite. The head scientist explained its basic configurations: "The SSC-21 weighs about 2,268 kg, with a body 5 meters long and 2 meters wide. With its radar antenna extended, it's about the size of a basketball court."

"We've already given the coordinates to Optimus Prime, and he will pilot the Ark-32 to within 30 meters of the satellite. At that point, Sari, you will use your jet pack to do an EVA out of the Ark-32 over to the SSC-21, landing here," pointing to a spot on the model.

Sari raised her hand. "I'm sorry, but what is an 'EVA'?"

"Forgive me," said the scientist. "Extra-vehicular activity, a space walk."

"Once you arrive on the SSC-21, there are several 'D' shaped anchors all around the exterior," pointing to the anchors. "You can secure your jet pack to one of them. "

"The control panel, where you will work, is located right under this hatch," and he showed her a curved door on one side. "The hatch has two locks that you open by turning counter-clockwise, and pulling toward you. Once open, you will see the control panel. The access codes are..."

Isaac interrupted, "Forgive me, doctor, but she won't need the access codes," he explained. "Her Autobot mod lets her in to any system."

"Ah, yes, of course, I remember now," said the scientist. "My apologies, Sari."

Isaac turned to his daughter. "Sari, that is the point where we hope you can fix the satellite."

On the conference table was some silver-colored rope with heavy-duty fasteners at each end, and a facsimile of her jetpack. The scientist continued, "You can use these in the NBL – the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory – to practice securing your jetpack to the satellite."

"That concludes my orientation, Sari. Do you have any questions?"

"One question, sir. Instead of waiting until I'm able to restart orbital station-keeping, why not just use the Ark-32 to tow the SSC-21 back to 350 km? We could hook a cable to the 'D' anchor. That way, we don't run the risk of it falling below 225 km."

"An excellent question, Sari. Unfortunately, the 'D' anchors are not engineered for the stresses of towing. They were designed for attaching equipment like your jet pack, or for allowing an astronaut to hook onto. I'm afraid if we tried what you're suggesting, they would shear right off."

"It was one of the first things we thought of," said Isaac. "But regrettably, the mass of the SSC-21 is too great."

"I understand," she replied. "Thanks."

"Any other questions?"

"No, thank you," she replied.

"Optimus, do you have any questions?" asked Isaac.

"Just two, Professor," he said from the video screen. "First, at what point in the satellite's altitude degradation do we abort Sari's EVA, and second, if it comes to that, do I have permission to bring the Ark-32 alongside the satellite instead of maintaining a 30 meter distance."

"We will declare an abort of the mission once the satellite gets below 250 km," said Isaac. "And you have my permission, at that point, of bringing your ship adjacent to the failed satellite."

* * *

Sari and Isaac next went to the NBL to practice her maneuvers. She switched to "bot" mode and put on the mockup jet pack.

The NBL technicians came to Sari with some hooks. "We need to hook you to the overhead crane so we can lower you into the pool," one said.

"Well, how do you plan to do that?" she asked. "I don't have anything for your crane to hook onto."

The technicians looked at each other. One came up with an idea. "What if you put your foot on the bottom hook here and just held onto the cable? Can you do that without falling off?"

"Like a circus acrobat? Sure, no problem!" And she put her pede on the big bottom hook and gripped the cable with a servo. The technician motioned to the crane operator, and up she went and down into the pool.

Little problem in the pool though! Autobots have no buoyancy! As soon as she got off the hook, she sunk to the bottom.

"Sari! Are you OK?" asked the NBL controller.

"I'm fine," she said. "I should have realized Autobots don't float," she laughed.

The engineers got together for a quick conference with Isaac, and came up with a solution: if they added enough air to the jet pack mock-up, it should provide enough buoyancy to offset Sari's Cybertronian metal body. They brought Sari out of the pool and added air bladders to the inside of the jet pack. Doing some quick calculations, they were able to determine exactly how much air would be needed. Filling the bladders, they handed the pack back to Sari, and tried the pool dip again. This time, it worked - she had just the right amount of buoyancy! Sari gave the underwater crew a thumbs-up.

"OK, Sari, we'll first pull you to the mock-up of the Ark-32 portal, 30 meters from the satellite. Then, we'll use the crane to pull you to the spot where you'll land on the SSC-21. Use the silver rope to secure your jet pack, and the mags on your pedes to get to the panel.

"But once I take the jet pack off, I'm no longer buoyant," she said.

"That's OK. The satellite should support you at that point."

"Won't the jet pack then want to float up to the top?"

"It will, but the silver rope will hold it down."

"OK, here goes!" And grabbing the crane cable, she took off from the underwater "Ark-32" portal. She ran through the simulation, landing on the satellite mockup, taking off the jet pack and tying it down, then walking over to the panel. Turning the two hatch doors, she gained access to the control panel.

"Great job, Sari! That's exactly how you should do it for real up in space," said the NBL controller.

"Thanks! This is a very good way of running through it."

"Let's go through it a few more times."

"Sounds good. Just like my Cyber-Ninja drills," she said.

Sari thus practiced the routine until she had it down pat. When they were done, she left the NBL and everyone met back at the conference table. "Optimus is piloting the Ark-32 here to Houston and will be landing shortly," said Isaac. "Are you ready for the mission, Sari?"

"Yes, I will do my best to get the satellite repaired."

"We will maintain constant communication from the moment you and Optimus take off. In addition, the team here at Houston will be monitoring the SSC-21's altitude and relaying the information to you."

* * *

"Houston, this is Optimus, preparing to land."

"We read you, Optimus, welcome to Houston," said the control tower.

Optimus landed near the SSC-21's bay, and Sari boarded with her jet pack and the equipment given to her by the team. "Welcome aboard, Sari! Ready?"

"Ready, sir! Let's do this!"

The Ark-32 took off into the sky. Houston control came online. "Ark-32, we are monitoring your flight. SSC-21's altitude currently at 312 km."

"Roger, Houston. Approaching SSC-21 now," said Optimus. He brought the Ark-32 in a parallel orbit 30 meters away. "OK, Sari, time for your EVA."

Sari put on her jet pack and walked towards the portal. Optimus opened the bay doors. "Wow!" she exclaimed as the Earth's awesome majesty lay below her pedes. The Ark-32 was passing over the African continent.

"Sorry to interrupt your 'wonder' mod, Sari, but we're on a tight schedule," Optimus interjected.

"Right!" she said, and powered up her jet pack. She exited the Cybertron ship and began her 30 meter trip over to the crippled satellite.

"OK, on the satellite," she said, and began tying down her jet pack to the "D" anchor. The pack floated in the zero gravity, but the silver rope kept it from going away. Stepping onto the radar antenna, she walked over to the hatch, and turned the locks to open it.

"The hatch is open," she said. "Going in to check it." Her digits opened up and the prods penetrated the control panel. Immediately her eyes went from blue to white and she began "seeing" the internal workings of the crippled satellite.

"Houston, I'm inside the SSC-21 right now," said Sari. "It's completely turned off!"

"WHAT?" said the head scientist. "How could that be? It couldn't have turned itself off; someone must have issued a command from down here – but who?"

"Do you want me to begin turning systems back on?"

"Wait, Sari," said Isaac. "The power up of the satellite systems must be done in a very specific order."

"To make matters worse, Professor," said the scientist, orbital station-keeping is the last system that must be powered up. The entire sequence can take quite a bit of time, and as you know, it also takes time for the satellite's boosters to begin firing."

"So, how much time do we have?" asked Isaac.

"What's our altitude right now?"

"290 km, and falling," said mission control.

"At the rate it's beginning to fall, I don't think we have enough time," said the scientist.

"Oh, dear, oh my," said Isaac, rubbing his temples.

"285 km."

"Wait a minute," said Sari. You said that the 'D' anchors could not take the stress. For how many cables?"

"Well, we calculated for one," said Isaac.

"280 km."

"But, what if we hooked up more than one?"

Isaac slapped his head. "Oh for Pete's sake! Optimus, how many cables do you have on the Ark-32?"

"I have four."

"That might work," said the scientist. "But barely."

"275 km."

"Let's try!" said Sari.

"Alright! But quickly – we only have minutes," said Isaac.

Sari quickly exited from the panel. She untethered her jet pack and flew back to the Ark-32, and grabbed the four cables from Optimus.

"I'm heading back to the satellite with the four cables," she said.

"265 km."

She flew back, tethered her jet pack, and quickly attached the cables to four 'D' anchors. "OK, Optimus, they're secured."

"255 km."

Optimus slowly began pulling away from the satellite, attempting to get the cables aligned. Sari watched as one by one, the four cables grew taut. "They appear to be holding!"

"Altitude holding at 255 km," said mission control.

"I'm going to try very slowly pulling away now," said Optimus.

"I will watch the 'D' anchors."

"Pulling up now," said Optimus, and the Ark-32 began pulling away from the satellite.

Suddenly, one of the 'D' anchors began warping! Sari rushed toward it. "One anchor is starting to break!"

"Oh no! If that one gives way, the others will follow!" said Isaac.

The anchor snapped and the cable broke loose, but Sari snatched it with her right servo and as quickly as she could, wrapped it around her arm. Putting her pedes, her left servo and the rest of her body on the satellite hull, she pulled on the cable and managed to use the mags on her pedes and Processor-Over-Matter to maintain a grip on the satellite.

"Sari! Are you all right?" said Optimus.

"I'm OK!" she said, her voice straining. "The other 'D' anchors are holding. Keep going!"

"270 km."

Isaac stood up from his chair. "Oh, my Sari! What are you doing?" He said to himself.

Optimus continued towing to a higher elevation.

"300 km."

Another anchor began to break! Sari managed to reach over, and just before it snapped away, she caught that cable with her left servo. Now straddling both anchors, all that remained hooked to the satellite were two 'D' anchors, too far from her reach. Her back to the hull, knees bent, her mags and her P-O-M kept pulling the satellite to her body.

"Optimus! Another cable broke loose! I'm holding it with my other servo!"

"Sari, can you hang on?" asked Optimus.

"I'm OK so far! Aaargh! Keep going!"

"What's happening up there?" yelled Isaac.

"Two anchors broke loose, but Sari is holding them to the satellite. I am continuing my ascent."

"325 km."

"25 km to go and we're there, Sari!" said Optimus.

Finally, the other two 'D' anchors, warping from the stress, snapped open. "Oh...no..." she said, as she watched the cables fly away. Now, Sari's body was all there was to keep the satellite from falling back to Earth. Her digits held tightly on to the cables. The pulling forces from the Ark-32 to her arms were tremendous! It was all she could do to keep pulling the satellite to her body. Straining, she shut her optics. "Must…keep…holding…P-O-M…P-O-M…!"

Finally, they announced "350 km!" Everyone on Houston got up from their chairs and cheered!

"You did it, Sari! We're made it to 350 km!" said Optimus. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you, sir!" she sighed.

"Sari! Sari! Are you all right?" asked Isaac.

"I'm OK Dad," she replied. "In one piece." Isaac fell back in his chair. "Oh, thank goodness!"

"I will maintain this position, which shouldn't stress the 'D' anchors. Are others available that can be used?"

"Yes, let me attach them now." And she walked over to other anchors to secure the cables she was holding, and used her jet pack to retrieve the two cables that had snapped away. These were hooked on as well.

"What happened up there?" asked the head scientist.

"Shortly after Optimus began towing the satellite, two of the 'D' anchors broke, but I grabbed the cables before they snapped away, and using Processor-Over-Matter and the mags on my pedes, I was able to keep those lines pulling on the satellite. During the last 25 km, the last two broke away. Fortunately, I was able to maintain a hold while the towing got us to 350 km."

"Sari, the pulling forces you had to contend with were massive!" he replied. "I don't know how you did it, but we owe you a huge debt of gratitude."

"Glad this worked, sir. I reattached the cables to other 'D' anchors and we're holding steady now, so I can begin powering everything up. Let me go back in, and then give me the order in which the systems need to be turned on." And Sari went back to the control panel and her prods penetrated the satellite's system.

* * *

"Alright, all systems are powered back up. Orbital station-keeping is programmed at 350 km, so I will exit the system and proceed to decouple the cables from the 'D' anchors." Sari then secured the satellite and returned the cables back to the Ark-32.

"Welcome aboard," said Optimus. "Job well done – well done indeed!"

"Thank you, sir!"

"Sari and Optimus, we are remoting in to the satellite's systems now," said the head scientist. "The logs should give us clues as to how it was turned off in the first place."

"Acknowledged," said Optimus. "Ark-32 returning now to Houston."

Landing back at control headquarters, Optimus and Sari were met with cheers from the entire Houston crew! Her Dad was at the front to greet them both. He hugged Sari. "Oh, my Sari my Sari, thank goodness you're alright!"

"Thank you both! Thank you so much for your assistance! I thought the satellite was a goner."

"Well, hopefully you will be able to find out how it happened," said Optimus.

"Oh, that we did! That we did. The logs showed that it was a disgruntled employee who had issued the order to shut it down. He has been taken into custody by the authorities!"

"But, wouldn't your logs here on earth have shown that?" asked Sari.

"Normally, yes," said the scientist. "But this one was clever by too much. He inserted a secret program into our HR system that if his name happened to disappear, then 90 days later, his shutdown command would be issued – a shutdown command to the satellite would have required his authorization. He had been fired 90 days before the problems started happening. He expected the logs, with his authorization code on the satellite to have been destroyed. Well unfortunately for him, they weren't."

"Well good. And we owe it to Sari, who was able to hang on to those two cables," said Optimus. She used her P-O-M to maintain a grip so that I could tow the satellite to its proper orbital altitude."

**So this final Earth mission was an exciting one for Sari! Once she returns to Detroit it's off to Cybertron for more training. Thanks for reading.**


	19. Chapter 19

**After the satellite mission, Sari mentions an "odd" feeling in her pedes and servos. Jazz sends her to Ratchet for a checkup. He discovers something.**

"Sari? I noticed you shaking your servo; something up?" Asked Jazz.

"Just an odd, tingly feeling I'm having, Sensei," she said. I'm getting it in my servos and my pedes. I've had it since the satellite mission."

"You'd better let Ratchet have a look," he replied. "It might be something serious."

* * *

"Well now, Miss Sumdac, this is interesting," said Ratchet. He was looking at his monitor after scanning her.

"What? What is it? Did I break something?" Sari was nervous!

"Eh? No, quite the opposite, actually," he said, not taking his optics off of the readings. Stepping away from the monitor, he grabbed a portable scope from his cabinet and came back to Sari. Picking up one of her pedes, he turned the scope on it. Ratchet's magnifier on his optic came out, and he began carefully examining something. "Well, I'll be!" He chuckled.

He put her pede down, and said, "Here, let me see a servo!" Ratchet then did the same examination on her servo. Finally, he put her servo down, stepped back and scratched his helmet. "Remarkable!" was all he said.

"What? What is it, Ratchet?"

"Well, my dear, you have a new mod." Turning towards her, arms crossed, servo on his chin, he asked thoughtfully, "You say you got this tingly feeling after the satellite incident?"

"Yes, it began after Optimus and I got back from space."

"I read his report. You put quite a bit of stress on yourself." Ratchet looked off at a distant point, pondering. "It's possible that that incident may have caused this to come on."

"What? Caused what to come on?" Sari sat up. "Ratchet, you're making me crazy with anticipation!"

Ratchet snapped out of his ruminating. "Huh? Oh, sorry, kiddo. It looks like you won't need your jet pack any more. This mod adds plasma thrusters to your pedes and your servos. In other words, you can fly!

"I can WHAT?"

"Yup, fly. That's what had me so stumped! You know what they always say: 'Autobots don't fly!' Well, apparently, with this mod, YOU can!"

Sari was stunned! She sat there with her mouth open for several nanoclicks.

Ratchet noticed the open mouth and chuckled. "Yeah, I know how you feel, Sari, me too. But Dataminer told us you had an amazing set of mods, right? Anyway, congratulations! You can go join the twins in the sky!"

"Anyway, that tingly feeling you were getting? It was your processor registering a new connection to the mod in your subspace chamber, where the plasma thrusters are. Just as your orb generators and your jet skates are in your subspace chamber, so are those thrusters. Here, lie back down and let me complete the circuit." Sari got back down on the examination table and Ratchet clicked a few keys on his control panel.

"There. That completes the connection to your subspace chamber; the tingly feeling gone?"

"Yes, it's gone now."

"Now you should be able to turn on the thrusters by concentrating on them – but hey! Not in here! Let's…take it outside, if you don't mind."

As they left his examination room, Ratchet got on his comm. "Optimus? Why don't you grab everyone and come outside? Sari and I have something you really ought to see."

Optimus, Jazz, and Bulkhead met Ratchet and Sari in the outside lot.

"What's goin' on?" asked Bulkhead. "Hey, Sari. Why are you standin' over there?"

"What's this about?" said Optimus.

"You'll see," replied Ratchet. "You know that tingly feeling she's been having? Sari's got a new mod that came on."

"OK Sari, let's try it nice and slow," said Ratchet.

"Alright, here goes," she said. She concentrated, and the thrusters fired off in unison. "Wow!" she said as she started going up into the air.

"Great Cybertron!" Optimus staggered back. He turned to Ratchet. "Sari…Sari can fly?"

"Yup. I'm not entirely sure, but it may have come on with that straining she did holding on to the satellite. I could see the beginnings of it with my scope."

"Very, very cool!" said Jazz, putting a servo to his chin.

Bulkhead waved. "Hey, Sari! How's it looking up there?"

Sari instinctively started to wave back, "Pretty cool, Bulky! Whoa!" She began to lose control. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" she yelled, spiraling backwards and crashing into a pile of empty oil drums. "Ooooh!" said Bulkhead. "Sorry for waving! You OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," as she came stumbling out of the pile.

"Did my first flight look like that?" asked Optimus. "Pretty much," said Ratchet.

"Sari! Don't go so high," said Jazz. See if you can keep it just a little bit off the ground, until you learn to balance your four thrusters – oh, and for now, try not to wave," he smiled.

"Got it!" she laughed.

"Try using your pedes for altitude and your servos for direction." He suggested.

She walked back to the center and tried again. This time, she put better thought control on the thrusters and managed to keep herself about a meter off the ground. "Hey! This works!" Then, using her servos for direction, she moved herself back and forth. "Not bad! Forward, backward. Forward, backward!"

"Now, I'll try side to side." And almost like a dance move, she sashayed back and forth from side to side.

Her overconfidence got the better of her, for she didn't notice the wall looming to her right. "Uh, Sari?" Warned Bulkhead. Too late! She glanced over to see herself speeding toward the Autobot Base wall faster than she intended.

"Aaaaah!" Sari yelled, as impact became imminent. Instinctively, she turned and threw her palms toward the wall to stop, but this only caused the thrusters to blast her backwards, shooting her straight towards her friends!

"Look out!" Yelled Ratchet, as he, Jazz and Optimus jumped out of the way of the backwards zooming Sari. Bulkhead was too slow, and with an "Ooof!" got body-slammed. Careening off of Bulkhead, she flew up, then, in a wide circular arc and a "Yaaaaa!" came back down, flying upside-down past the prone Autobots, crashing once again into the oil drums.

"Maybe we should do this in a more open area," groaned Optimus, getting up.

* * *

Relocating outside the city to a wide open field, the Autobots gave it another go. "Alright Sari, no walls here to get in your way," said Optimus. "Let's try again."

Sari brought herself up about a meter with her pedes, and practiced maneuvering back and forth with her servos. "I think I'm getting the hang of this," she said.

"Now, do the opposite: use your servos to hold you up, and your pedes to move around," said Jazz.

Holding her arms out and servos down, she used her ankles to move forward and back. "Very good, Sari. How about turning around?"

She did this by twisting her ankles in opposing directions.

"Excellent! How about a flight test?" asked Jazz.

"Oh Yes, Sensei!"

"Give it a try. Fly around the trees and come right back. Don't go too high yet." Sari took off and went around the forest, but no higher than the tree tops. Taking it easy, she practiced maneuvering around objects, stopping, hovering, landing, and taking off. "This is the most wonderful thing I've ever felt!" she thought. "This must be how birds feel!"

She came back and landed gracefully in front of the Autobots.

"Excellent job, Sari," said Jazz. "Now, let's take it to the next level. Detroit is about 10 kilometers away. Why don't you head over there, and we'll give you a call when it's time to come back?"

"Awesome!" And with that, Sari blasted off into the sky. "Woo hoo!"

"One problem, Optimus," said Ratchet. "She won't be able to talk on her comm while she's flying, unless she learns to fly with three thrusters.

"We'll work on that when she gets back," said Jazz. "For now, I'll let her enjoy the ride," he smiled.

Sari zoomed around the sky, spinning, twisting, doing loop-de-loops, and then, she decided to go higher, faster. Zooming up, she yelled, "BEST…MOD…EVER!"

People on the ground suddenly heard a crack of thunder. "What was that?" they wondered. "Thunder? On a bright, clear day?" Sari had broken the sound barrier.

Suddenly, she found herself looking at the curvature of the Earth. "Whoops! Maybe I went a little TOO high," she thought. "Better get back down," and headed back. "Oh!" She thought, "I'd better watch out for airplanes, though."

Bringing herself down to 8 km, she headed towards downtown Detroit. Coming down to building level, she flew around the city, watching the sights below. "This is a good way to keep an eye on things," she thought.

Looking back up, she spied a familiar landmark. "Hey! There's Sumdac Tower – I think I'll fly around it; maybe Dad will see me!"

She circled the tower, and then caught her reflection in the mirrored windows. Stopping to hover, she looked at herself. "Cool! Each thruster is blue-white." She wondered which window was her dad's office. "Hmm. Never thought about it from outside – guess it's one of these at this level, but which one?"

Isaac sat at his desk, studying a proposal. Pausing to look out the window, he caught something zooming past. "What? A rocket?" Putting down the papers, he walked around his desk to the window. "What WAS that?" he wondered. Then, it came back, stopping a few windows down. He rubbed his eyes. "Wha…Sari?" He rushed to the window where she was looking in. He waved at her, and jumped up and down. "Sari? With rockets in your pedes and servos? What is this?" Of course, she couldn't see or hear him through the glass pane. "Sari? Sari!"

Optimus' voice came through Sari's comm, "Sari, don't worry about responding, but time to head on back."

"Oh yeah, kind of hard to touch my comm with all four thrusters going," she said, and took off for the field. Isaac watched as she zoomed away. "Well, I guess I'll find out about this tonight," he sighed.

Unfortunately, Sari's trip outside and around Detroit grabbed some unexpected attention! Frightened citizens looked up at the strange sight of an object zooming around the sky. Numerous 911 calls were made, but by the time the robo-copters responded, she was gone.

She landed back at the field with Optimus, Ratchet, Jazz and Bulkhead. "One thing we'll work on, Sari, is figuring out how to work your comm while airborne," said Jazz. "Other than that, how did it go?"

"Awesome! I flew up until I could see the curvature of the Earth! Then coming down, I went around Detroit, and around Sumdac Tower."

"Curvature of the Earth, eh? You must have gotten up to about 25 hics," said Ratchet. "Thought I heard a sonic boom; must have been you."

Just then, Optimus got a call on his comm from Captain Fanzone. "I don't suppose you happen to know anything about these reports I'm getting of a Decepticon flying around?" he asked.

"Uh oh," said Optimus, and turned to Sari. "Sari, I'm afraid you and I will have some explaining to do with Captain Fanzone about your little trip."

"Whoops!" she said. "Sorry."

"Sorry about that, Captain. That was one of ours – Sari. Turns out she was testing a new mod that just came online that lets her fly."

"Lets her fly, huh? Well maybe next time, you Autobots can clue me in ahead of time, so I can have an answer to all these 911 calls wondering what the heck's going on around here!" Optimus grimaced – he could picture Fanzone's face turning red with those words and tone of voice.

"We'll do a better job in the future, I assure you. Would you like Sari and me to come by your office? We were about to return to Autobot Base, but maybe it would help things if people saw her landing near your precinct."

"Come by here, huh? Yeah, that's a good idea to calm people down. I'll call the press and we'll meet you outside." Fanzone hung up.

So Optimus transformed into his truck and Sari flew behind. They headed towards Fanzone's office.

* * *

"Good afternoon. This is Lester Black, reporting to you live from the precinct headquarters of Captain Carmine Fanzone. Tell me, Captain, you say that the multiple sightings and 911 reports made today were not, as feared, that of a Decepticon or some kind of alien invasion?"

"That is correct, Lester. As you know, we at the Detroit Police Department make the safety of our citizens the highest priority. As soon as we received these 911 calls, we immediately dispatched our robo-copters to intercept the unidentified flying object. At the same time, I personally put in a call to Optimus Prime of the Autobots to collect any additional information."

"And did he have any collaborating information?"

"Yes, Lester. He told me that it was not, as feared, a UFO, or a Decepticon, but was in fact, one of his Autobots, Sari Sumdac, the young Autobot who with our S.W.A.T. team, rescued all of the hostages from that maniac and his criminal cohorts at Somer Mall."

"I asked Optimus and Sari to come here to explain the circumstances of this recent flying incident. I see them arriving now."

Optimus arrived in truck mode and transformed. Sari landed next to him. They were immediately surrounded by camera-bots, with Lester Black and Captain Fanzone standing in front. Lester's camera crew used a long boom to bring a microphone up to Optimus.

"Optimus Prime, what can you tell us about this incident?"

"Our young Technorganic, Sari Sumdac, was testing out a new mod that she has acquired. This mod enables her to fly. We Autobots deeply regret any concerns this may have caused the good citizens of Detroit."

Lester then walked over to Sari. "Sari, tells us about this new flight capability of yours. Do you plan to use it in the service of the Detroit Police Department?"

"Well, any coordination with the DPD would of course be up to Captain Fanzone," she responded. Then looking to Fanzone, she smiled and said "But I know that he will always find the best way for me and the Autobots to be of assistance to the good people of Detroit."

"Good answer, Sari," thought Optimus. "Your diplomat mod works quite well."

"Lester, Sari will be departing soon for additional training on Cybertron," said Optimus. "We will look forward to her return, and working with the other Autobots as we protect Earth from the Decepticons."

"Thank you Optimus Prime, Sari Sumdac, and thank you, Captain Fanzone! This is Lester Black, signing off."

* * *

Jazz and Sari continued to work on perfecting her flying techniques. Soon, she was able to hover and fly using just her pedes, leaving her servos free for tactical purposes, such as firing orbs or carrying objects while airborne. And of course, using her comm!

When training was done, she landed and met with Jazz and Optimus. "Tomorrow you will be heading back to Cybertron, Sari," said Optimus. "But first, there's something we want to ask you."

"Yes, sir?"

Jazz asked, "Sari, have you ever considered attending the Autobot Academy?"

"The Autobot Academy? Me?" Sari was awed by the question. "I would be honored, Sensei!"

"As you know, the Autobot Academy is where Autobots are schooled in military tactics and combat. It trains its students to become officers. What's more, a significant number are accepted into the Cybertronian Elite Guard."

Optimus continued. "Now, in order to qualify, Sari, you would first have to go through Autobot Boot Camp. Success there would qualify you for admission."

"There is a boot camp starting up right after you arrive on Cybertron. Would you be interested?"

"Yes sir! Very much so!"

"Then I will communicate your intention to the High Council, and they will make the necessary arrangements for your enrollment. When you arrive at Cybertron tomorrow, leave your personal effects at your apartment, and Jazz will accompany you to the boot camp transport."

"You have our best wishes, Sari! I think this will be an excellent experience for you!"

**So concludes this book, "Sari Sumdac, Cyber-Ninja". I think looking back, this one is the first part of a multi-part series. In the next book, we'll take Sari through Boot Camp and beyond! Thanks for reading.**


End file.
